


Memories Remade

by FellStroke



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28712466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FellStroke/pseuds/FellStroke
Summary: A mysterious phenomenon allows the weary war veteran, Jaune Wolves' Bane d'Arc, to return to a time untouched by calamity. What does this entail for Remnant? What needs to change in order to prevent the future he had always known from becoming a reality yet again? And what is Ruby to do about her best friend who somehow suddenly knows all about her thoughts, faults, and weaknesses?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. One Last Hunt

**This story was orginally posted on fanfiction, but it's going through bugs right now, so I though to migrate some of my stuff here.**

**I hope you guys like the story!**

* * *

One Last Hunt

* * *

Deep in the pitch black of night, he stood with nought but the blue light of his scroll illuminating his weary, unshaven face. The muted hues cast deep lines of shadow across his countenance, a multitude of wrinkles that spoke of experience, age... as well as pain.

His dull eyes flickered, following the images that danced within the window he held in his hands; a window to a past long gone but not forgotten; memories of better days.

As always, her voice was like the sun.

Come on, Jaune!

Ruby, we're still on a mission; we can't just-

—but I found something cool I wanted to show you! See, it's right around the corner, behind this tree aaand... Viola!

The man chuckled, and it was a tired old thing. Oh, how he missed her...

Viola what? What am I looking a-

[—Clack clack clack...]

The noise did not startle him; only drew a tired sigh from his dried and leathery lips.

With practised ease, the man flipped the scroll shut and put it in the breast pocket of his trenchcoat, and with a grace that could have only been born from years of mastery, he drew his faithful weapon.

Slow. Steady. Confident. He was in no rush.

The solitary note of his blade as he pulled it from its scabbard feathered over the ruins, an ode to a promise he planned on keeping that very eve. It sang, 'One last... One last hunt.'

"As I live and breath," the honeyed alto of her voice mocked him, "Jaune Wolves' Bane d'Arc, _the last hunter_ —or last living person in all of Remnant, more like. To what do I owe the _immense_ pleasure of this most unexpected visit? Oh, and could I just say: you don't look a day over... eighty? Why you look absolutely awful, Jaune," the sweetness of her tone betrayed the words she spoke.

Jaune did not deem that worthy of a reply so, instead, he gauntleted Akoúo̱ and took on a Myrmidon stance. Knees bent, shield held at the vanguard, sword-arm to his cheek as the blade rested on the crest of his bulwark, old bones settled into the familiar form.

The woman made a sound of disappointment that could have only been described as theatre, "Aw, straight to business, Arc? But don't you want to catch up with some old... friends?"

Lightning flashed and in its flickering revealed what once was the empty skeleton of his old alma mater now home to living bone and creeping shadow. Grimm. Thousands upon thousands of Grimm. He was surrounded.

And yet, even with the display, the old man didn't even flinch; did not falter; his eyes never straying from the woman who stood there before him. He knew they wouldn't attack. They didn't have to. The end of all this was already a foregone conclusion. They knew it, and most importantly... he knew it as well. They were there to enjoy the show, nothing more.

Like any last act worth its salt, it began to rain. How felicitous.

The ever-present smile on the woman's face finally slipped into a scowl. "You know you can't beat me, Jaune."

No answer; no sound for the longest time except for the noisy hush that could only have come from rain.

"Tired?" The woman then asked, breaking the rhythmic silence.

To wit, at last, he acquiesced, "Very."

"...Let us end this then."

The old man could only raise his shield higher in reply, sharp eyes peeking over the top of it.

Seconds ticked past, and in the time it took for one to pull in a breath, the woman made the first move, opening up with a torrent of flame that lit up the night with its harsh orange glow.

If this were to be a fairytale, what followed then could have easily been scribed as a battle worthy of the pages, but it was not. What it was was nothing more than a ritual slaughter that only had one way of ending.

With a shove that heralded flames, the old man was sent flying into one of the pillars that was miraculously still standing after all these years. He heard a crack more than felt it as his body slid down the dilapidated stone monolith and onto the cold floor. He realised with as much surprise as realising that he had slept in on a Saturday that he could not feel anything from the waist down. Broken spine most like. The old man could only chuff.

"Any last words, Jaune?" The question more a formality.

"None."

"Then I'll-"

"—But if you could give me a moment."

The woman looked like she was considering it before finally relenting. What were a few more seconds? She had already won. "Very well."

The old man, with some difficulty, reached back into his coat pocket. The woman didn't even stir as he did so even when it was quite possible he'd pull another weapon on her like the ones he'd used throughout the fight.

But he was old. He was tired. He was broken. They both knew it wasn't worth the effort.

He flipped the scroll open once more and pressed play on the video he had watched countless of times one last time.

The old man smiled.

—at?

You can't see it?

See what, Rubes? There's nothing there.

Exactly! There's nothing! It's perfect!

Perfect for what?

A house Jaune. Our house.

He paused the video where the woman was smiling just to feel its warmth just a little while longer.

Whether it be tears or the rain that streamed down his face, it did not matter. After longingly caressing the silhouette of the woman inside the screen, "I'm done," he whispered and then tucked the device away. He gathered his sword and shield onto his lap and waited for the end. His eyes closed.

"It's been a pleasure, Jaune." She raised her hand to strike him down-

"Hold, Cinder."

"Mistress?"

"I'll do it. After all, a huntsman of his calibre deserves nothing less, no?"

The new voice spoke, but Jaune did not bother to see who it was. He was just so tired. It would mean little to him anyway to know who would bring him his demise.

"Rest, brave knight," their breath caressed his ear, "Rest in the knowledge that you've tried _everything_... and it was never enough to save... _any_ of them."

The skin in the corners of his eyes creased as he clenched his eyes shut against the pain her mocking tone had dredged.

She was right. If only he'd been stronger, faster, smarter, more resilient; if only he'd had the power to prevent all this... if only he could do it all over again, he promised to be better.

An empty promise of a dying man; mere words that had not the chance to be anything more. At least now he could rest...

"I'm coming home, Cookie," he whispered as a blade of cold black pierced his heart.

~ • ~

Jaune Arc bolted upright as he woke with a start in his bed at Beacon Academy. No fires, no rain, no Grimm, no Cinder Fall. Was it all a dream or was this the dream? Without thinking, he raised a hand up to his cheek and felt hot tears there.

If this were a dream then why did it not fade? He could still remember his life as Wolves' Bane d'Arc, vivid and unrelenting, more a memory than a dream. In fact, it was all he could remember at the moment.

As his hand fell away from his face, he noticed it, Ember Celica on his right arm.

"What?"

He took stock of his person and noticed other things: his garb right before he had died, one of Ren's Stormflowers and Gambol Shroud holstered to his hips. Akoúo̱ rested at his feet collapsed around Crocea Mors. And as he reached behind his back... his breath caught as he beheld Ruby's Crescent Rose with just a touch...

This wasn't a dream.

His now supple hands began to shake. It was all he could do not to scream. Not a moment later, Jaune leapt from the bed in the room he shared with his old team, earning a grunt from Ren at the noise he made. He paid him no heed and instead headed straight for the door.

~ • ~

[Bang bang bang bang!]

"Who-wha- I'm up! I'm up! Is it time for breakfast? Can I have cookies?" Ruby's sleepy babble drivelled out of her mouth as she drivelled out of bed painfully onto the floor, a rude awakening.

"Ugh! Who in their right mind would be awake at," Weiss paused to look at the clock in her scroll, "3 am in the morning?!"

"I'm this close to killing the guy out there, so someone else better answer the door!" Her sister promised.

Ruby was already at the entrance to their room by the time her sister finished with her threat. She opened the door and was greeted by an old man- no wait, what? Old man? No, he wasn't old; why did she even think that? 'Huh, trick of the light?' It was just Jaune. She had no idea how she could have mistaken him. 'Huh, must be sleepier than I thought.'

"Jaune? What are you- ack!"

To Ruby's sleep-addled brain, it didn't really register what just happened. She was just standing earlier, but now it seemed she was in her best friend's arms securely ensconced in his embrace. She gave two blinks in surprise.

Being this close to him, The first thing she noticed when the suprise faded was his clothes, damp as if he took a shower in them. It made her shiver, no, it was him who was shivering. That was when she noticed the second thing. Jaune was crying; not the over the top bawling she had known her friend for, but a silent sob that left his frame heavy as he collapsed to his knees.

Somehow that made her worry even more.

She didn't know what was going on but the desperate way in which he clung to her as if she would disappear at any moment left Ruby reeling.

"Jaune? Jaune, what's wrong?"

~ • ~

Her younger voice overlapped with the one in his memory of a woman who would ask him that very same question whenever he'd come home to her injured. Its familiarity robbed him of his strength and rooted him in place. He was no longer embracing her, instead clutching her to him, his head pressed against her stomach as his entire frame shook with silent and desperate relief.

"Jaune?"

Unsure yet tentative fingers wrapped around his head pressing him closer.

"What the heck is going on out here?!"

"What is- Jaune? What happened? Are you alright?"

"It's way too early for this."

"Oh my gosh! A confession?!"

"Nora, keep your voice down; it's the middle of the night."

"Jaune?" Her voice came again, softer this time if it were even possible. He knew he had missed it, but only hearing it again made him realize just how much. It was enough to make him look up. And there he saw her, Ruby Rose, his best friend, partner, wife...

There were no words to describe what he was feeling in that one moment. No words, but he tried his best to understand anyway.

Imagine being lost at sea; no sun, moon, or stars for light or warmth. You've been there for years so the cold that seeped into your bones was no longer a bother, instead, it was a constant that you have come to accept; to live with. You are lost, and you will _remain_ lost until your exhausted body stopped keeping you afloat as wave after wave beat against you.

But then, without even hoping for it, a light covers you. So warm it is, so comforting, so familiar; a light that you have only known for a moment—for that is what life was, a moment—is returned to you in the twinkling of an eye. Suddenly the cold becomes so unbearable that it would rend soul from spirit.

Would you not cling to her?

That was where Jaune was right then and there. He could not be blamed for what he did next.

The fist connecting to his cheek begged to disagree.

~ • ~

'WH-WH-WHAAAAaaaAAaat?!'

Ruby's eye grew two sizes bigger at the suddenness of it, but then rolled to the back of her head and fluttered closed when the pleasant sensation enveloped her like a comfy blanket, only for them to fly wide open again when she remembered that this was _not_ normal best friend behaviour!

Jaune was- he was- he was KISSING her! WHAT?!

"WOAH! Back off, buddy!"

A solid punch from her sister and her lips separated from his with a wet and incriminating pop. Jaune sat with his butt to the floor cradling his cheek but did not look any worse for wear. In fact, he looked like he didn't even notice Yang verbally tearing him a new one. He just kept staring at her with eyes filled with- what, relief?

Disbelief? Anyway, what did she know? She was only fifteen. Who could even tell what eyes were (probably a doctor) and the emotions that swam within them (probably a psychiatrist)? Not her, that's for sure!

Yet his eyes unnerved her still that she hid behind her furious sibling if only to shield herself from the... intimacy—yeah, that was the word—of his gaze.

Who was this guy, and what had he done to her best friend? If only she could tell just by looking at him from over Yang's shoulder.

~ • ~

He could tell just by looking over Yang's shoulder that Ruby was shocked, confused, and scared. Years looking at that face, Jaune recognized all the emotions that swam beneath the silver of her eyes.

If he still doubted that this was a dream, then that punch sure woke him up. Only then did the full weight of the realization of where he was—or better said, _when_ he was—bared down on him.

He was really back, back to when he was only a student at Beacon and not the sole surviving hunter in all of Remnant. The memory of his school days was so far off that he could not even remember how he should conduct himself around his old friends.

Friends. The very word shook him and threatened to drown him in yet another deluge of emotions. It was only his years as a seasoned veteran that gave him calm and control. He stood back up and, as he did, took the time to look each and every one of them; their faces varying degrees of aghast, disgust, flabbergast, and, in Nora's case, unbridled glee.

All shocked, but most importantly, alive.

"I told you it was a confession! You go, Jaune! Not the way I would have done it, but hey, points for guts, spunk, and moxie! You go boi!" The aforementioned ginger girl exclaimed.

"Like hell it is! You got some 'splainin' to do, Arc, and it better be good. Because if you weren't Ruby's friend, then a shiner's not the only thing you're getting!

At the mention of her name, Jaune's eyes flickered to where Ruby was hiding behind her sister's golden tresses. His wife let out a "meep!" before hiding even deeper in Yang's hair. But no, he realised, she wasn't his wife, was she? At least not in this timeline.

The thought grounded him more than he wanted it too.

No, right now she was just Ruby Rose, huntress in training and leader of team RWBY. For all she cared, becoming a huntress was the only thing that mattered to her right now. They weren't even remotely together yet. It dawned on him then what his actions—that were familiar only to him—might have meant for Ruby and the others that stood around them.

He needed a moment to gather himself unless he wanted to make another mistake. It was with swift strides that he escaped them all down the corridor.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?! I'm not done with you!"

"J-Jaune? Jaune, wait!"

It took everything he had not to turn back when she called out for him. His head in turmoil and heart even more so, he knew that that was the last thing Ruby needed however. So he fled. He was thankful for his team keeping Yang from chasing his ass down.

He needed time to think.

~ • ~

"Well," Ren broke the silence that followed his leader's departure, "that was... odd. What do you think that was about?"

"I told you, Ren. It was a confession!"

Ruby's ears reddened at that, and they would have reddened further if It were not for Yang dragging her away, saving her from the curious glances that team JNPR was throwing her way.

"Confession my ass! C'mon, Rubes, let's get back inside."

If going back inside meant that the discussion was over then Ruby was sorely mistaken because no sooner did the door slam shut was she assaulted with a torrent of questions.

"Ruby, are you okay?"

"I'm fi-"

"Did that creep hurt you?"

"Yang, he's not a-"

"When I get my hands on that guy, I'm going to make him regret even laying a finger on my dear, sweet, innocent, little sis!"

"Yaaang, you don't have to-"

"Oh, I know I don't, but I _want_ to. It's no problem; what are sisters for? Don't worry, Ruby, I promise I won't let that guy _anywhere_ near you."

And with that, Ruby had lost her; there was no talking to her sister when she got this worked up. That's not to say that she wasn't worked up herself. But she was more the confused and wanting some answers sort of worked up. She wanted to know why Jaune was like that. Why was he soaked? Why was he crying and looking at her like- like she was a ghost? Why did he- he...

Her cheeks tinted at the memory of not two minutes ago, of him and her a-and- his tongue- 'Erk!'

"I'm going to bed! G'night!" She declared loudly, her sad attempts at avoiding the situation and her unwanted recollection. With a swiftness that looked like she was using her semblance—when really she wasn't—Ruby hopped into her bed, pulled the covers over her head, and pretended to sleep, complete with exaggerated snoring sounds.

"Yeah, you get some sleep, Ruby. I could only imagine how horrifying that was for you."

Now she wouldn't call it horrifying per se. She blushed some more at the unconscious admission, but at least Yang was calming dow-

"Can you believe that- that- that punk?! Where does he get off assaulting Ruby like that?"

—or not. Ruby sighed.

"I don't know. Quite honestly, I'm just glad that he wouldn't be chasing after me anymore."

"Of course, _you_ would say that, Weiss-cream" Yang snarled at the heiress.

"Did anyone else notice how he looked a bit off?"

"Off?! Try freakin' mental!"

"I meant his clothes. I don't think I've ever seen him in anything other than his-"

"—Who cares about his clothes, Blake?! That sonova bitch just stole Ruby's first kiss! _Her first kiss_! That's sacred! Sacred I tell you!"

The subject of their discussion stuffed her head underneath her pillow and tried her best to ignore the soul-crushing embarrassment her sister was unknowingly inflicting upon her. 'Oh sure, Yang, tell everybody about your poor sister's kiss count; it's not like it's _private_ or anything.'

From there, all she could do was tune everybody out unless she wanted a headache come next morning. Try as she might, she couldn't sleep, however, and whether she admitted it or not, it wasn't just Yang that was keeping her from catching some well earned Zs.

Ruby paused when the errant thought drove past her tired and really-should-be-sleeping-already brain. 'My... My first kiss...?'

It's weird how they tingled still even now as she reached up to touch her lips with her fingers, like an electric current that was more pleasant than painful was running through them. She bit her lips to make it stop. It was all she could do to keep her tongue from darting out to wet them. 'Why Jaune?' She could only ask as she worried for her friend.

She needed time to think.

'But not about Jaune! No, wait, I just did. Ugh! Stupid brain! Shut up! Shut up! Shut UUUP!'

~ • ~

His legs carried him towards the spot where he had last fought Cinder, to the pillar that should have been his final resting place. He ran his hand over the cool stone, perfectly sculpted and still standing. It didn't look like a battle had been fought here at all.

Eyes roaming over the sight that sprawled before Beacon Academy and beyond, 'It doesn't look like a battle's been fought _anywhere_ ,' Jaune thought. His home... it wasn't a wasteland, 'at least, not yet.' If Beacon yet still stood then this must be a time before Cinder, before all his friends had died, before the fall of the great cities and civilization itself, before Ruby- his Ruby had- had-

Jaune shook his head free of the soul-crushing reminder of his past failures; he had more pressing things to worry about; too many in fact that he had no idea where to begin. Questions of how was he not dead; how was he even there in the first place, were pushed back to the far recesses of his mind in favour of the gift he had been given, a gift he never could have imagined even in his wildest dreams.

'A second chance.'

For Jaune, to fathom such a thing took his breath away. This was his chance to prevent the future that was coming. The future where he had lost everything. The hope he dared to house in his heart threatened to make it burst.

But how to go about it?

Decades worth of training, combat expertise, and war doctrine flooded him with ideas always at odds with one another. When one popped up another countermanded it. Then another idea would present itself only to be met the same fate as the ones before. It continued on like this until his ears rang and a line of pain carved its way to the forefront of his brow. He was spiralling even though he knew very well that the leader should have been the last one, if not never the one, to lose himself.

Without even thinking about it, he shoved his hand into his breast pocket relieved to feel his scroll still there. He stumbled onto one of the benches that surrounded the courtyard before taking the device out and began watching one of the many memories that lived inside. It calmed him like no other, the ringing in his ears quieting to a dull hum.

Soon, his consciousness was finally able to cut through the clamour of ideas, and his mind, honed to the razors edge of efficiency with his years of living, fighting, and surviving, began to craft him something resembling a battle plan. The wicked grin on his face and the hope in his heart grew.

Oh my gosh, Jaune! I can't believe you're Wolves' Bane now!

History described him as one man and Cinder Fall an inevitable tide that sought to crush him and everything he had ever known and ever loved.

Nah, it's just a stupid title.

Stupid title?! Do you even know how many people have been given that name?

Yet he had eluded her and her armies for years that it took him actually walking up to her doorstep just so she could even have the _chance_ of doing him in.

No. But I'm sure you'll tell me.

He had turned all those who had sought to make prey of him into prey themselves, and culled more grimm than any other hunter that he'd been awarded the title of "Wolves' Bane" d'Arc, the thousand slayer.

One.

When he spoke, kings and queens listened. When he raised his sword, so too did armies. When the fires had burned everything away, he remained. He had faced the end of the world on his terms, and though he had lost, it was not without bloodying the noses of his enemies.

One?

A legend to his comrades and a nightmare mommy Grimm told their baby Grimm so that they would eat their vegetables, that was who Jaune Arc was. One man...

You, Jaune. Just you.

And now that one man had infinitely more to work with rather than just his wits and the weapons passed onto him by his loved ones.

He would take this chance, and this time, he was going to do it right. He will be better. "I'm coming home, Cookie," he told the woman in the scroll, "just one last hunt," before flipping it shut and back into his pocket. He stood with a determination he hadn't felt in a very long time.

He had work to do.

~ • ~

[Bang bang bang!]

"Now who on earth could that be at this time of night? Glynda, be a dear."

The woman rolled her eyes before walking to the door and opening it. And when she did-

"Ozpin, we need to talk."

* * *

**Well, that's it for setup. Not the most original trope, I'll admit, but I just really like how Jaune is such a convenient character. The every-man, if you would.**


	2. Memories and Migraines

* * *

Memories and Migraines

* * *

Jaune woke up and was met immediately with a splitting headache of epic proportions. 'Ugh, what happened last night?' His joints popped as he stretched to get the blood flowing back into his extremities, 'I feel like I slept on a ro- wait...'

But it wasn't a rock nor was it his bed he had slept in. In fact, it wasn't even a bed at all; it was a couch, and not the one JNPR had in their room. Where the heck was he?!

"Good morning, Wolves' Bane."

Startled, Jaune's head snapped left in the direction of the voice only to be confused further, "Uh..." It looked like he was in Ozpin's office for some reason with said man currently sitting at his desk, ever-present cup-o-joe in hand. What in Remnant was he doing sleeping in the headmaster's office? Was he in trouble? He hadn't the foggiest. "Uuuh," the blonde boy reiterated oh so articulately.

"I would suggest getting to class; we wouldn't want to rouse suspicion," the headmaster went on, not at all noticing the highly befuddled looks the young man was throwing his way. He was too busy reading something on his scroll.

Rouse suspicion? The what? Anyway, he wasn't about to stick around to find out if he really was in trouble; so, gingerly, Jaune stood and tiptoed his way towards the elevator.

"Oh, and, Wolves' Bane-"

Jaune whipped his head back again, and it did not escape him how weird yet so natural it felt that he respond to such a moniker in the first place. 'Wolves' Bane?'

"Remember what we discussed: I will allow you to aid your team, as well as your wife's, but in a manner that would not alter the course of coming events. I know you don't agree with the plan for the time being, but I also do not need to remind you that we could only be as prepared as to the accuracy of your predictions. We can not risk your actions changing things too much. That said, keep it low key, would you?"

There was a long empty pause where Jaune wasn't sure if he should say anything to fill it in or not. 'I mean, what do I even say to that?!' Was he still asleep, or half-asleep even? Was he dreaming? Yes, he must've fallen asleep in one of Port's classes again. Yeah, that's it. That would explain a lot of the craziness at least.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, "You're not going out dressed like that are you?" Ozpin commented albeit lazily, brow raised as he eyed him up and down over his scroll.

Huh? Going out like what? Jaune looked down at himself and saw the tattered coat draped over gear that was _most definitely_ on his person. What was he wearing and how sloshed was he last night?! The fact that he didn't even drink went unremembered.

To answer the first question, however, in more detail: it was a rusty, old suit of—he wanted to say "armour" but it looked _way_ too fancy—metal. However, rusty and old it may have been, it did not make a sound when he moved. There were no dead spots either as each plate folded within each other seamlessly, allowing for maximum protection without sacrificing stealth and mobility. A heavy, dark-brown, leather, trench coat so worn that it had lost its sheen covered most of the metal bits except for where a full set of pauldron, gauntlet, bracer, and arm-guard protected his shield arm. It was cool, it was efficient, it was unfamiliar.

Finally, to top it all off sat a red hood and cape he wore on his shoulders, not unlike a scarf. Compared to the armour, the flimsy piece of fabric was, _in fact_ , familiar, so much so that it shocked him to be with it in the first place.

He knew very well that it did not belong to him.

"There's a spare uniform in the closet to your right." Ozpin's distracted drone snapped Jaune out of his stupor. "Leave your equipment here for now and I will see them to your locker. Get changed and get to class."

~ • ~

'Definitely a weird start to a weird day.'

And Jaune wasn't just talking about the waking up at Ozpin's, the weird wardrobe, or even the weapons he'd found underneath the tattered coat he'd been wearing. No, it was the overall feeling of restlessness; the feeling of "must" that was bothering him the most. But "must" what? He could not say. All he knew was that it was like that feeling he'd get whenever he knew he'd forgotten to do something important—'like homework.'

The description sucked, to say the least. Jaune tried again.

It was like an instinct, he guessed, for lack of a better word. Like with the weapons earlier: finding one Stormflower and Gambol Shroud minus its sheath holstered to his hips, Ember Celica on his right arm, and Crescent Rose slung over his back (he didn't even need to see to know that the shape pressing up against him that time had been Crescent Rose and yet Jaune knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that it was Ruby's beloved scythe), Jaune knew that he shouldn't have had his friends' weapons on him—in fact, he ought to return them later—but... _something_ told him that, no, they were where they _must_ be.

With him.

Un-equipping them earlier made the feeling even worse, like ripping off pieces of himself. Jaune knew it made no sense. How could he feel that way with weapons that didn't even belong to him? But now, walking with only his school uniform for protection; the "familiar" weight of his armaments absent in his every step... Jaune felt naked.

...And the hood, he couldn't even comprehend the feeling of loss when he took it off.

The "must" feeling hung off him like a heavy robe that kept his shoulders tense and muscles taught. But what did it matter? 'What am I so worked up about anyway? I'm at school! It's not like something's just gonna pop out and-'

"Jaune-y boy!"

There was a blur of movement he would later go on to realize was himself, and the next thing he knew, he had Cardin Winchester pinned by the neck against a wall. Breath suddenly ragged, Jaune blinked a couple of times before it registered what he was doing.

"Ack! Get off me, loser!"

Jaune backed away with a start. What did he just-? He looked at his hands and saw them shaking. What was happening to him?

"You've got a lot of nerve there, blondie," rubbing the sore spot on his throat, Cardin growled as he righted himself.

Around him, Carden's lackeys squared themselves for a fight. His instincts told him that he could take them _all_ on... _easily_ , but the larger part of him that governed self-preservation and bodily wellness told him to run instead. So he did. 'Stupid instincts! You're going to get me in trouble!' What was he even thinking attacking Cardin like that? Did he have a death wish?!

The headache that had accompanied him since that morning did not help with an answer nor did it lend itself any small amount of focus that, when he entered professor Goodwitch's class, he didn't even notice the room going deathly quiet.

~ • ~

Ruby let out a "Hngh!" and Yang immediately knew why.

There he was, the dead man. The deadest dead man to have ever walked into a room alive.

Who did he think he is waltzing in as if nothing's happened? The slightest tint of red began to eclipse her irises as Yang's blood rolled into a boil.

"Hey guys," he greeted them tiredly as he slumped into the seat _right freakin' next_ to Ruby. Propping his head off the table with both hands, "Hey, Rubes," he dared to talk to her sweet sister. "Uuugh, ow. You won't believe the morning I just had."

This- this- this GUY! He had a looot of balls talking to the girl he basically molested last night. Did he not see how uncomfortable he was making her poor, poor Rubaby?! 'Ohohohooo! I bet he thinks he's such hot stuff. But n-n-n-n-NO! This ends right now!'

"Hey, you. Off." It was said in such a deadpan way that no one could have guessed at the simmering beauty that lay beneath her golden curls.

"Bwuh?"

"Off. Sit over there."

"But I..." Jaune looked around to check if he was in the right spot and faced Yang again once he confirmed that he, indeed, was. "I always sit here. This is my sea-"

"—Yeah, well, now it's my seat, so, off!" Her temper rose.

"Yang-" Her dear, sweet, innocent, little sister tried to calm her down—because, of course, she would; she was an angel like that—but Yang wasn't having it.

"—I said: OFF, Vomit Boy!"

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh! I'm going. Ugh, my head..." Jaune grumbled as he left to sit with his team.

Yang gave a nod of approval before taking the recently vacated seat so that Ruby was squashed between her and Blake. Never taking her eyes off her fellow blonde, her glare stayed until he was well over the other aisle. "Hmpf!"

She was going to make good on her promise yesterday, and that's a fact.

~ • ~

Pyrrha saw her partner approach and the relief she felt could plainly be seen on the lines of her face. He hadn't even sat down yet when she bombarded him with concern, "Jaune, where have you been? You didn't come home last night. What happened? Are you okay?"

"Ow- ow, Pyrrha, not so loud."

"O-Oh, sorry. Does your head hurt? Do you want an aspirin?"

"Do you _have_ an aspirin?"

She blushed in embarrassment, "Oh, uh... no, sorry."

"Then I don't need it." He smiled at her indulgently despite the obvious pain he was in. She would have smiled too if she weren't so worried about her leader... and what happened last night.

She didn't even realize how she began to frown at the reminder.

"Jaune..." She let his name hang, trusting him to know what she wanted to know.

"Pyrrha," he replied instead, tiredly mumbling her name into his arms he'd had his face buried under.

"Jaune," She said again but sounding more stern.

"Pyrr." Same tone but a sigh instead.

"Jaaauune!"

"Tsk-ugh, look, I don't know, Pyrrha," Jaune finally gave up. "The last thing I remember from last night was going to bed and then, this morning, waking up in Ozpin's office."

Wait. He didn't remember _anything_ from last night? Did that mean him and Ruby- that they weren't- a-and he hadn't- hold on. Ozpin's office? "Ozpin's o-" she wasn't able to finish asking when their professor entered the room.

She strutted straight to the middle of the practice arena, and, without much preamble, declared in a voice that brokered no contest, "Jaune Arc."

Pyrrha (and the entire class) looked to her partner, fearing for him and the reason why the professor was calling him out not a minute after walking into class. Was Jaune in trouble? Was that why he was at Ozpin's office? Were he and Ruby seeing each other? (She hadn't really meant to ask that last one, but the crush she knew she harboured for the boy demanded it.)

"Step onto the arena if you please."

Jaune hesitated before doing what he was told, but Pyrrha saw the way he winced and wobbled at the mere act of standing up. Concern flared within the girl, "Um, professor Goodwitch," she stood, "I don't think Jaune is feeling very well, perhaps someone else could-"

"—If I wanted your opinion, miss Nikos, I would have asked for it, and I did not."

Snickers sounded from somewhere behind her, but she couldn't care less. Pyrrha sat back down, but not before shooting her partner another worried glance. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't very well insist that her partner sit this one out, not to Goodwitch who looked like she'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning

A soon as Jaune reached the bottom step, Goodwitch called out again, "Yang Xiao Long, please accompany mister Arc. We would be doing duels today."

Pyrrha and her other two teammates took in a breath.

At the mention of her name, Pyrrha's head swivelled over her shoulder to see the surprised look on the aforementioned blonde's face before a wicked grin took its place. Though she was, it didn't take a genius to know what the brawler had planned for Jaune, not after the... incident that had transpired last night.

The trepidation she'd felt earlier could only grow. She would not say it to his face, but Pyrrha (and the entire class, really) knew that Jaune wasn't the _best_ of fighters. To be faced with someone like Yang, angry or not, it did not bode well for him. Her hands wrung themselves around her wrists when she heard Ruby try (emphasis on "try") to order Yang to go easy on Jaune. To wit, she replied, "Don't worry, Rubes, I won't hurt'm... _much_."

She had to do something.

"P-Professor Goodwitch," the woman raised her brow at her as if daring Pyrrha to speak against her a second time. She dared, albeit not sounding confident that she was, "I would like to volunteer to be Jaune's opponent."

She tried not to show the relief she felt when it looked like the professor was actually considering replacing Yang with her.

"Very well."

Relief. The breath she'd been holding released in an explosive sigh, "Thank you, Professor Goo-"

"—Pyrrha and Yang against Jaune Arc. Please step onto the arena, miss Nikos."

Pyrrha recoiled in horror, "What?! N-No, I meant that-"

The rest of the objection was cut off by the sound of Goodwitch's crop slapping against the palm of her hand, "Don't make me ask a second time, miss Nikos. Onto the arena."

Why was she being like this? Professor Goodwitch was strict but never cruel! To pit both her and Yang against an obviously weaker and inexperienced opponent, what exactly was her teacher hoping to accomplish?

Her classmates' stares of anticipation, and the glare of their combat instructor pushed her to stand and walk towards where Jaune and Yang were, each step deliberately slow and dragged.

"The fight is until the opponent's aura falls into the red zone. Anything short of a killing blow is allowed. Any questions?" There were none, but not for the lack of it. "Excellent. Equip yourselves and take your positions. Fight well because, trust me," her eyes looked pointedly at the redheaded girl, "I'd know if you're not."

Pyrrha's hands shook, but not because she was afraid. Though not one to boast, she was arguably the most skilled in their class; what reason could she have to fear?

No, she was conflicted. She liked the boy and wanted to be good friends with him. Beating him up felt like a gross step in the other direction of that endeavour.

"BEGIN!"

The shout shook her out of her stupor and instantly her training took over. Pyrrha's eyes tracked her opponent without her meaning to; without her _wanting_ to. She bit her lip so hard she was surprised that she did not draw blood.

"I've been looking for an excuse to kick your ass, Arc. Lucky that it's you and me today, ey?"

If Yang was hoping for a reaction, then she was sorely disappointed, because all that got from Jaune was a shake of the head and a groan of pain for his troubles.

He really didn't look all that well; no, not at all, "Jaune-"

"Ragh!"

Shock made Pyrrha's eyes widen when her temporary teammate suddenly lunged forward. Her hand reached out to pull her back when she remembered that they were supposed to be on the same team. She faltered.

Pyrrha thoughts warred within herself distracting her from the fight, but then there was a sound, and she heard everybody gasp. 'What happened?' She asked, not paying attention, conflicted as she was.

First, she noted Yang on the floor, shaky arms trying to push herself up off the ground. Then her eyes lifted towards her leader, him recovering from the action of having his shield shouldered forward.

What happened?

She looked to his face for the answer, but the only expression there was one in the throws of a monster headache. Eyes squinting before clenching shut, she thought that he would collapse.

That was until he didn't.

It was the strangest thing when he opened his eyes again, fluttering as if getting used to the light even though they've been standing in the room for quite some time now. He forced one last blink, and his gaze noticeably sharpened, an intense clarity seeming to darken his baby-blues and turning them a smokey cobalt.

His head turned slowly to the left then to his right, taking in the scene before him as if he'd only just realized where he was and what was going on. Then a focus unlike anything Pyrrha had ever seen on Jaune, settled over him like the faintest of silks. It was in the way his shoulders squared themselves; the way his breathing seemed to slow; the way he gripped his sword just a little bit tighter. All minute details, but, to Pyrrha's trained eye, were _quite_ glaring.

Suddenly it felt like it wasn't Jaune that stood before her, instead, someone she recognized as an opponent; someone confident with his blade; confident in his skill; confident of the outcome of the oncoming confrontation.

Jaune Arc, last of all Beacon, looked confident he could win- that he _would_ win.

Her body tingled in anticipation of a good fight. 'But… Jaune?' Her thoughts reminded her, refusing to make the connection between what her eyes were seeing and what her gut was telling her.

When his gaze finally settled on the champion, her body tensed immediately, snapping low into a fighting stance; her instincts recognizing a very real threat for once.

But, _again_... Jaune? How? How could that be?

However jarring her friend's change had been, it was not what made her step back. Why she hesitated, and what really made her think twice was when, after taking stock of her, he too readied himself, taking on a very familiar stance. The Myrmidon...

Her favourite form; the very same one she was using now. Pyrrha didn't think her eyes could grow any wider.

Was- Was he mimicking her?

Looking closer, she realized that, no, his was... more disciplined. Where she favoured a looser variant of the Myrmidon that allowed for a much speedier offence, his was more—how to put it—militarized. He kept his core tight; his shield everpresent; his sword arm hidden from view at all times with just the tip of his blade resting on the crest of his bulwark.

It was the very same stance her mentor used to favour. And she never did best her father, him being a champion himself.

"Lucky shot." Yang groaned as she was finally able to get on her feet.

"Yang," She called out, "good, you're up. I'll keep him busy while you circle around. Flank him." Was she actually strategizing? Strategizing against Jaune? Even Yang looked honestly confused.

"What? Flank? Nobody's got time for that! Just sit tight, P-money; I got this."

"Wait, Yang, no!"

This time, her protests weren't because she was worried of what Yang might do to Jaune, but what Jaune might do to Yang. And if that wasn't a table-turner for the books, she didn't know what was.

"Hyah!"

Pyrrha's eyes almost popped out of her skull when she witnessed her supposedly less skilled team leader flow through Yang's opening flurry like water through a babbling brook. Moving just enough so that her blows either missed or glanced off his shield, it sapped her punches of its power; minimal and brutally efficient, it was downright beautiful.

Where Yang poured out her strength in buckets, Jaune barely spared a drop. Soon his opponent would tire, and Pyrrha knew exactly what would happen once she did, having been on the receiving end of such a tactic herself countless of times.

"Hold still!"

Yang's left hook went wide, overextending herself over Jaune's shoulder and leaving her entire left flank completely exposed. Jaune chambered his blade preparing to thrust with his hip, but before he could stab Yang in the liver, Miló was there to intercept.

The force drove Jaune's blade down, but instead of letting it hit the floor, he used the momentum to swing it back around to rest the sword tip delicately on his shield once again; Myrmidon ready quicker than an instant.

'Yes, very military.' Pyrrha put her sword out towards Yang, dissuading her from launching yet another fruitless offence, "We can win; we just need to work together."

"Work together against Vomit Boy? You've got to be joking!"

Hard eyes flicked a chastising look towards Yang but only for a moment, not daring to take her eyes off her opponent even for a second, "Well this Vomit Boy looks like he's running circles around you. Perhaps adopting a different strategy would be wise?" Pyrrha did not mean to be sarcastic, but, for once, she was nervous. The feeling was… foreign; people would understand if she felt a little bit snarky.

Yang at least had calmed down enough to actually look at Jaune and see that he wasn't even winded! She relented, "Grrr... fine."

"Excellent. So, flank, any objections?"

Instead of answering Yang began to circle around the right of Jaune. She did the same to his left.

Having two enemies on either side of him, Jaune had no choice but to face who he thought was the bigger threat. For some reason, it flattered her immensely when her leader turned towards her. "So, Jaune, I see you've been training," she tried casually but never allowing herself to lower her guard, "You've improved quite a lot! I just knew you would be great."

For the briefest of moments, the hardness in Jaune's eyes seemed to flicker out, "Thanks, Pyrr! Y'know me, I try-" before another pained expression stopped him mid-sentence and the hardness returned.

The concern that had been replaced by survival instinct revealed itself again when she noticed the change in expression more clearly, being closer to him this time. "Jaune, what's wro-"

~ • ~

Capitalizing on the distraction, Yang barrelled into the knight intent on bringing the fight to the ground where her superior strength would give her the advantage. She settled her full weight on his stomach, and, with her powerful thighs, kept her prey from wriggling free. "Gotcha, bitch!"

She brought her fists up ready for a full-on ground-and-pound, but just before she could, the jerk brought his shield up just in time to block her first punch. Frustrations bubbled as her fist rang against the metal and sent painful vibrations up her arm. It hurt but nothing her aura couldn't handle. Just to spare her the inconvenience, though, she deployed Ember Celica to support her knuckles and tried again.

She was relentless, blow after blow, one punch followed by the next, she did not stop. His shield might've been tough, but the lump underneath it sure wasn't. It was with this thought in mind that kept her pounding him into the floor. One particularly vicious strike drew a strained groan from his lips that delighted her in ways that _even she_ was too prude to admit. She grinned confidently, taking it as a sign that her opponent was just about ready to give up, so instead of raining down yet another punch, Yang grabbed his shield intending to rip it off of his arm.

That had been a mistake.

When her fingers grasped the edges and pulled, she did not expect the shield to come hurtling towards her with such a speed that it caught her in the chin. Her head rocked back; her body slumped forward, and, even in her daze, felt Jaune buck his hips into her, giving him just enough room to squirm his legs between him and his shield.

With an almighty push, he used his shield to send her flying up and over him to the other side of the arena. She hit the mats with a loud thump.

But if he thought that that was enough to take her down, then he had another thing co-

Her head lifted groggily just in time to witness Pyrrha Nikos go down. Pyrrha. Freakin'. Nikos.

And she did not get back up.

~ • ~

Pyrrha blinked once and then blinked twice. What- what just happened? She didn't know. No, she did know, just... couldn't comprehend it. Was she just- She was. She really was.

She was... defeated.

Her own sounding groan was her confirmation.

"Ungf- [gasp] d-hah..." Jaune's left arm clutched her head gently against his shoulder while his right kept her own blade firmly planted in her abdomen. Pyrrha let out a breathless moan into Jaune's neck as she was thoroughly undone.

It happened so fast. Her coup de grâce all but guaranteed as Jaune was still just getting up from Yang taking him down, and then the next she knew, she couldn't move; her blade twisted from her grasp and rammed into a weak spot in her perfect defence she never even knew existed.

Well, they wouldn't be calling her the "Invincible Girl" anymore after this. It should have made her furious; her agent surely would be once she'd heard her prize cow had lost. Oddly enough, however, she felt relieved instead—like a weight she hadn't realized she'd been carrying for so long lifted.

He stepped back carefully letting her full weight settle on him. The mat was warm and comforting when he kneeled to lay her carefully down. She still couldn't move but her head was tilted so she could see Yang in the background of Jaune's legs as he got up and settled again into the perfect form of the Myrmidon. Jaune turned to face the last combatant, and, even in her paralyzed state, Pyrrha could see the hesitation in the blonde girl's eyes.

Good. Yang as well as everyone in the room was beginning to realize what she had known all along: that anyone could be beaten, even her. The knowledge that it was Jaune that felled her, it just made the fondness she had for the boy grow even stronger.

Unconsciousness never felt so welcome.

~ • ~

'What... the hell... was that?' Yang thought.

"What the hell was that?!" Someone in the crowd thought to shout the very same question over the pallor that suddenly gripped the entire room. Just then she realized how quiet it had become when earlier everyone had been frenzied. It did not help with her nerves.

They'd been expecting a massacre, and it really was, just that they'd expected _her_ doing the massacring. 'Well, you and me both, everybody.' She didn't even know what was going on anymore. Pyrrha had to have been pulling her punches, right? She'd never actually sparred with the girl before, but still, Yang knew she was no slouch. No way was she ever losing to Jaune, at least, not intentionally. Right?

Right?

He took a step forward, and she, in turn, took one back. As if rebuking her for giving ground like that, his eyes narrowed at her, and she couldn't even work up the anger to feel indignant at that. What the hell?

"You lack strategy."

His tone—or was it his voice? Was it just her or did it change? Puberty? Huh.—His voice, as if teaching a particularly dim child, made her foot catch. She righted herself before she could stumble, and though no one could really hear them from the bottom of the arena, everybody saw her falter. "What?"

He carried on sounding like he was the professor and not Goodwitch, "You know you're stronger than me and faster too. You think that that is enough and so brute force your way to beat me. That might work on Grimm, but you're not exactly fighting Grimm right now, are you?"

The sides of her nose curled into a snarl.

"No, you're fighting me, a person; someone who thinks, and weighs, and adapts."

"I've beat up people before."

"Not one like me, you haven't," as if to demonstrate, he lowered his shield just enough that not only his eyes showed, but his nose and lips as well, which were thinned into a tight line. "There. I've given you an opening. How will you take it?"

"Feeling a bit cocky are we, Jaune?"

He didn't even bother with banter anymore; instead, he kept his gaze steady, unnerving her with its unyielding focus. And that in itself was telling. This didn't feel like a duel anymore.

It was a lesson. How to piss off Yang 101. Class is in session, ladies and gentlemen.

'Cocky bastard.' That upset her enough into action, "I'll show you how I'll take it!

But again, he flowed around her as if he knew every move she'd make before she even made them; every punch, 'Damn it,' kick, 'Damn it!' and shot from Ember Celica yielding the same results. "Damn it, hold still!" Yang didn't want to admit it, but the revelation that she might—' _might_ '—just be a little—' _little_ '—outclassed here began slowly creeping in.

Knowing it was Jaune only made her movements more desperate. Sloppy.

What was the deal with this guy anyway? Did he find someone to train him on the side or something? Was Pyrrha training him? No, that couldn't be; Pyrrha was knocked the frigg out. No way would someone she trained beat Pyrrha.

"FOCUS!"

She suddenly felt Jaune kick her knee out from under her making her buckle to a kneel. The move was then followed by his shield arm mercilessly grabbing the back of her hair while Jaune kept the tip of his sword hovering over her left eye.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded.

What the heck did he even sound so angry for? He was the one kicking her ass!

"It only takes one— _one_ —second, _one_ mistake, _one_ moment where you're not paying attention and you die! This isn't a game, Yang!"

"Screw... urgh- you..." Yang ground out through his grip. She saw the anger in his eyes when he shoved her away and could scarcely understand why.

"Again."

'This guy, I'm really starting to hate this guy. Pretentious piece of-' After gathering herself, she put her hands up again, looking very winded. 'Why doesn't he just finish me off and be done with it?!'

He surprised her when he dropped his sword, soon followed by his shield. The gasps she heard all around her told her that she hadn't been the only one.

"Hands up close to the body; Keep your shoulders loose and your feet light. Basics, Yang, remember your basics," he said while adapting the same stance Yang was.

Was he patronizing her? Yang's teeth grit and her gums began to ache.

"And stop that! You're letting your emotions get to you. Anger without direction is effort without purpose."

"What the heck does that even mean?!"

He grinned appreciatively when he saw that, even though he knew she hated it, she listened to him anyway, adjusting her stance to his instruction. "I don't know; you tell me."

~ • ~

'After all, you're the one who taught me that.'

Taught him what? Where were these thoughts coming from? Yang never taught him anything; they were barely even friends!

If that were true, however, then what were all these memories he had of her then? Of them fighting side by side, helping each other when one couldn't stand on their own, of laughter, of pain, of mutual loss, what were all those? He'd known her for the longest time. They were more than just friends, they were family...

Yang? Family? 'Ugh!'

Again Jaune's head throbbed painfully, but he did not waver, oddly enough. Instead, his body carried on headless of the pain. It was as if he were on autopilot and his mind was just along for the ride. That- No, that description was wrong too, he guessed, or, at the very least, incomplete.

Him taking a back seat entailed a lack of control when, here, it wasn't the case. Every action he took against Yang was still a conscious thought; it was just that disconnect, however, where expectation met reality that put his mind ill at ease. And somewhere between those two things was the question: where did Jaune end and this "Wolves' Bane" begin?

Who exactly had he become?

He was Jaune Arc—short, sweet, rolls off the tongue; ladies love it—at least that much he could still say with no small amount of uncertainty (the name, not the pickup line).

He was still very much the awkward young teen of seventeen who'd faked his way into Beacon to prove himself worthy of his name. It was fact; the simple truth. The youthful spring in his step and unhealthy fear of bullies told him so.

Still that same bundle of insecurities; still the one who worried about not being a good leader; _still_ the one so afraid of dragging his friends down; _still_ the doubter of whether he'd ever amount to anything worthwhile, Jaune was still Jaune when it came to his fears.

But...

He was also Wolves' Bane d'Arc, the huntsman, and it was just as much a truth if not more so than the one that preceded it. He knew war; fought in it; died in it. He knew all his friends in such precious detail that it betrayed the short amount of time he'd spent with them just this semester in Beacon.

He knew why Weiss had that scar. He knew why Blake wore the bow. He knew why Ren and Nora were so protective of each other. He knew how Yang had come to hate her mother, and he knew how Ruby...-

The old and the new, the now and have yet to be; these thoughts, all these memories, they were all his and yet... they were not as well. They divided him, but also made him whole.

Although he knew they belonged to another Arc, Jaune could not help but keep and cherish them as his own.

It made _no_ sense, but at the same time, it made _p_ _erfect_ sense.

Jaune, hunter in training, And Wolves' Bane the thousand slayer were each their own person, but also one and the same. Two halves of the same coin; the question: which side was he?

Jaune did not know.

But one thing he did, however, was that the longer his fight with Yang dragged on the more upset he became seeing her do so brazenly. It was because he knew her recklessness would cost her an arm one day, and her life the next.

Wolf provided the memory, but it was Jaune who decided to do something about it. Yang _was_ family, after all.

He wanted to prepare her- prepare them all for what was to come. He had to protect them. Jaune Arc remembered his mission.

"Feints, Yang. Not everything has to be an attack," he said or heard himself say.

"Shut UP!

"You're still leading with your shoulder; anyone with half a brain would see that coming! Hide your moves."

"You teaching me how to punch, Vomit Boy?!"

"No, Firecracker, I'm teaching you how to think."

"Don't call me that!"

She had always been stronger and faster. In a fight with anyone else, those two things ought to have been enough. But against someone who she practically trained herself in hand to hand combat, it didn't matter. He knew all her tricks and even the ones she hadn't even thought of yet. Older Yang, _his_ Yang, had been more level headed, a thinker, and a Yang who thought before she acted was more frightening than an angry one.

Jaune ducked under a left jab and punch-checked her right hook. He ducked under her guard and, as he passed, let two vicious strikes connect with her liver and exposed ribs.

"Ugh!" She went down on one knee yet again, stubborn to the end.

He straightened himself, "Never let your emotions get to you. It should be you using them, not the other way around."

"[Cough] You sound like my dad."

Jaune let out a soft chuckle to himself, 'Probably because he taught you then you taught me.'

"YOU CAN DO IT, JAUNE!"

You can do it, Jaune!

Jaune staggered at the memory of her voice, "Coo- ugh… Ruby...?"

His head swivelled, searching in the direction where he'd heard her shout, and, even though she was in a crowd, it did not take long for Jaune's eyes to find Ruby's unique, stormy grey ones. Seeing her, immediately, his joints locked up and his muscles refused to move. Jaune's pupils dilated, and the drums in his head pounded more fiercely. This time he just couldn't take it, and it was that moment of hesitation that allowed Yang to get in a solid hit on him right in the stomach. The sound of her gauntlet discharging could be heard throughout the whole classroom despite it being muted by his body against her fist.

~ • ~

"Booyah..." Yang whispered victoriously. That was until he unexpectedly crumpled forwards, "Woah! Hey, what's the big idea?! Umf-" She pulled her fist back intending to knock him off of her but was shocked when she felt something wet coating her knuckles. "W-What the...?"

She was forced to catch him when his legs suddenly gave out, and she laid him down on his back. That's when she saw it. Horror slowly etched itself onto her face as a huge stain began to paint his hoodie a darker shade.

He... didn't have his aura on this whole time...?

"Why?! Why, didn't you activate your aura?!"

There was no answer, and Yang began to panic.

"P-Professor Goodw-!" the scared teen stuttered but needn't have for her teacher was there before she could even utter her name.

"There, there, miss Xiao Long. Allow me; I'll take him to the infirmary."

"H-He didn't have his aura on. I-I thought that- that he-"

"Do not worry. This isn't your fault; it is mine. You need not explain yourself. But if you would kindly hand over mister Arc to me that I might take him to the infirmary?" She repeated.

She was too worried she'd actually killed someone to feel any sort of relief from that, "N-No, I'll take him; just point me where." She insisted, then maybe some of the guilt she was feeling would lessen. He hated the guy, sure, but that didn't mean she wanted to straight up kill him!

Glynda studied her for a moment before standing up, "Very well. And could someone also help miss Nikos as well, please? It wouldn't do for her to be on the floor like that."

"I'll do it!" Ruby volunteered so fast that she beat the other two of team JNPR by a handspan.

Glynda nodded at her sister. "The rest of you will stay here and watch the feeds of the previous fight." Just then, screens lit up where the tables faced the arena, "Maybe you'll learn a thing or two."

Yang would have groaned at that, having the rest of the class watch her get her butt whooped for the rest of the period, but she could already feel Jaune's blood on her arms where she had placed them underneath him bridal style. It was warm and it sickened her. That warmth was supposed to remain inside the body, not-

She cut herself off before she could barf.

"This way. Quick steps, ladies. Quick steps now."

Past corners and a handful of corridors, they were intercepted by the headmaster just as they'd arrived outside the infirmary. "Ozpin-"

"—Yes, I heard, Glynda. I would speak with you in my office, but first get mister Arc inside, if you would," calmly, he told her.

The professor nodded and went to take the injured boy when Yang reflexively pulled him back to herself. She hesitated, feeling that she should be the one to see JNPR's leader to safety. A glare from the teacher told her how stupid that idea was. She was the teacher, the adult; meanwhile, she'd been the impulsive teenager who almost got one of her sister's friends killed. He was safer with Goodwitch.

"Thank you." Taking Jaune, Glynda bade them farewell.

A resounding thud was heard when the door to the infirmary shut behind the teacher. The two sisters were quick to follow, but Ozpin stopped them, "I believe you two still have class?"

"Yeah, b-but- I just wanna-"

"This wasn't your fault, miss Long; you need not feel guilty." When she still looked like she would object, he continued, "Mister Arc will be just fine. Trust me." He even smiled.

Despite the reassurance, Yang's eyes still flickered towards the doors to the infirmary, then to Ozpin, then back at the doors again and staying there.

With a shake of his head, the headmaster grabbed her shoulders and turned her away, giving her a gentle shove for good measure. "Go on, miss Long. He'll be out and about before you know it."

With one last worried glance over her shoulder, Yang's steps were slow when she began her trek back to class. Clearly, she'd been shaken by the ordeal.

"Oh, and wash off before you do," Ozpin called out to her.

She kept on walking as if in a daze.

~ • ~

The headmaster heard her grunt under the weight of her classmate and finally noticed that her older sister hadn't been the only one carrying someone unconscious.

"Oh, Miss Rose. Here allow me."

"N-No! I can do it."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed at her in suspicion, "But I insist."

"Please, Headmaster. I want to do it." She made sure to give him an extra dose of her patented puppy dog pout to secure her passage, and it looked like that not even the headmaster was immune to its charms.

"Hm, very well."

She tried and failed not to sound too happy about that, "Thank you, sir!" Adjusting Pyrrha in her arms, she took a step only for a hand to stop her when it laid gently on her shoulder.

"Only to place miss Nikos on a bed, miss Rose. Do not dawdle. I want you in and out and back to class quickly. Understood?"

She gulped. "Y-Yes, sir."

He released her and it took a lot for Ruby not to use her semblance just to get away, but she was in the infirmary soon enough and laying Pyrrha down on one of the mattresses there. She didn't leave immediately though as Ozpin instructed.

She was worried, worried for her friend.

Ruby crept up as quietly as she could from behind the nurses that were clamouring the next bed over. "Jaune..." she whispered. Ruby desperately wanted to see if her fellow leader was okay, but the many bodies of the medical staff kept blocking her view. She got up on her tippy-tiptoes just to peek over their shoulders but to no avail.

If she were paying attention, however, she needn't have worried because the commotion that surrounded Beacon's resident knight was not one of rush or panic, but of confusion. If she were paying attention, she would have also noticed the shadow that loomed over her.

One of the nurses went to get one of them weird dohickeys that doctors used and she almost caught a glimpse of him. Of course, that was when, again, a hand landed on her shoulder, and she startled, letting out an undignified squeak. "Professor Ozpin! Hi! I was just- uhhh-"

"—Getting to class."

The glacial tone in which he used to finish her sentence persuaded her to simply agree and not make up any more excuses; not that he'd believe her anyway even if she tried. "Right... hehe. Yeah, that." She still tried to get one last look before she was led away, but the headmaster made sure to keep himself between her and her friend. She made a sound of hesitation before finally relenting.

When the doors shut behind her and they were back in the hall, Ozpin spoke, "Please do understand, miss Rose; I don't think mister Arc would appreciate anyone seeing him in such a state."

"Yeah, but-"

"—I know that you are worried, but I meant what I said to your sister. We've seen worse incidents than this. Jaune is in good hands, trust me."

"O-Okay… You're right," Ruby agreed but not after a decent pause that showed just how much it grated at her. Turning to leave, she stopped midway, "When can I see him?"

Ozpin raised a brow, "At the earliest?"

She nodded.

"Tomorrow perhaps, but that needn't be your concern right now. Right now, your concern is getting back to class. Now scoot!"

She took his jovial tone well enough with a nod and smile that did not quite reach her eyes before dashing away. She didn't see Ozpin's lips thin into a line before turning and going back inside the infirmary.

~ • ~

Living with a hot-headed, blond bomber; a broody, goth woman; and... well, Ruby, it really took a lot to surprise Weiss nowadays. Despite the short time she had spent with her team, she'd been somewhat desensitised to anything that ranked any lower on the weirdness scale than bunk-beds made of rope and a small library's worth of smutty books.

But seeing Jaune's fight, the least she could say was that it had been an eye-opener. Was she that conceited or was the duel just that much of a surprise? Looking around herself at everyone who had their attentions focused on the screens, she was relieved to know that it was most likely the latter.

"Who would have thought that he'd be that good?" She heard Blake whisper.

"I am quite surprised as well," she whispered back. "Do you think someone has been training him?"

"No. That kind of skill isn't exactly something you could learn over the weekends."

As if to prove her point, the clip of Jaune's fight played the part where he expertly twisted Pyrrha's weapon out of her hand and then stabbing it into the champion's stomach so fast and with such precision that it lowered her aura from 100 percent straight down to 18 in a second. The crowed "oofed" with the blow.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Honestly, I'm not all that sure myself. Based on what we've been watching for—what?—the third time now (Weiss could still scarcely believe how the fight only lasted a poultry 3 minutes and 22 seconds), it leads me to believe that Jaune's either been training—and, well, _again_ ," Blake gestured towards the screen where Jaune was soundly beating the short-shorts off of Yang in hand to hand combat. Hand to hand! That was Yang's chosen form of engagement! Even if he'd trained every day since initiation, he couldn't have gotten good enough to pull that off, none of them would!

"Or it's the alternative," her teammate trailed off.

"Which is?" Weiss almost hesitated to ask.

"That he's been hiding his skills and is already a full-fledged huntsman or something."

The thought was just too ridiculous for the heiress. The dead-last a huntsman their age? "Surely not. I mean, he's a noodle! If he's a huntsman, should he not have—oh, I don't know—the physique for it? Just look at him!"

She said just in time to see Jaune knock Yang down with a solid shield bash to the face, not at all aiding her argument any. Again the crowd went "Ooo" coupled with hisses as breaths were dragged through teeth, her peers empathising with her pain.

"I _am_ looking. Do you want to know what I see?"

"Tell me."

"I see years and _years_ of discipline, mastery through repetition, and confidence through countless opposition."

"Okay, a bit dramatic, but aren't you giving him just a little bit too much credit?"

"No. Not enough if you ask me." Blake then turned to look pointedly at Weiss, "I look at him and I see experience—way more than he ought to have."

Weiss turned towards her as well, incredulous to say the least, "But how-"

A raised hand kept the heiress from asking, "Don't ask me how. As I've said, I'm not sure. I could be wrong," Weiss sensed a but in there somewhere and was right, "but I've been around people like him before. He reminds me of a soldier. All soldiers I've known have eyes like that."

At that, Weiss could not help but focus more on Jaune's blue orbs, and she had to admit, they were rather lovely, all dark-blue and icey when he glared- Weiss shook her head before she could entertain the thought; she was pretty sure that that wasn't what Blake meant by eyes. She looked again, closer this time, and noticed how they almost seemed dull despite being in the middle of a fight. "Eyes?" Weiss asked for clarification.

"Tired eyes," Blake explained, and she was right; they did look just a tad bit too tired. And it was not the crammed-all-night-with-a-can-of-Grimm-bull-energy-drink tired; no, it was the kind of tired that said that he had seen too much. Done too much.

But how could Jaune have eyes like that? He was only seventeen and so carefree before. Weiss just couldn't wrap her head around the possibility.

"I guess the real question here is why's he hiding?"

The question? She hadn't even gotten to that part yet, still trying to understand how Jaune was able to beat two competent fighters at the same time. But that really was the question, wasn't it? If he really was that strong, then why hide?

Ruby taking a seat beside her stopped the heiress from pondering the thought further.

"Ruby, where's Yang?" She placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. Ruby's sister came in just as she was asking the question. She noted that parts of Yang's clothes were wet and her arms were red as if scrubbed raw. A haunted look dominated her teammate's expression.

Ren and Nora came over to where they sat, clearly eager for news on the missing half of their team. "So how's our fearless leader?" Nora was first to ask, and though she tried not to look too worried, she was anything but.

It was Ruby who answered because, clearly, Yang was still in shock and she couldn't blame the girl, "He's going to be fine... or at least, that's what Ozpin says." Her leader did not look too sure.

"The headmaster?" Weiss tilted her head.

"Yeah."

"Well, if boss man Ozpin's with him, then I'm sure Jaune will be A-Oka-"

"—He shouldn't even be there!" The venom in Yang's vehement hiss put a stop to Nora's exuberance.

"Yang...-" her sister whispered.

Yang repeated, "—He shouldn't even be there."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked, for once not being the loud one.

"That- That _idiot_ had his aura down..."

Confusion swept over their entire group. It was Weiss who posed the question, "Are you telling me that Jaune fought you and Pyrrha to a standstill using no Aura? Yang, that's-"

"I'm telling the truth!" Hysteria threatened to raise her voice louder than a harsh whisper.

"Are you sure you didn't just-"

Yang cut Ren off with an overwrought chain of disjointed chuckles before he could finish asking, "I barely laid a finger on him! Look," she pointed at the screens that were still playing their fight earlier, "Do you see that?! You think I could have brought his aura down enough to do that kind of damage? We all know how huge Jaune's aura is and I barely nicked him! He should've been fine! He should've-" she stopped before she lost herself to the panic.

Nora held the distraught woman's hands that were clutched together so tight that the skin of her knuckles paled against the bone underneath. "It wasn't your fault," she said, "Maybe… Maybe Jaune just forgot?" The red-head looked around to see if anyone else thought so.

No one else thought so.

Nora could not be blamed at how flimsy the suggestion sounded at best. And no one could even comment on it because, quite honestly, what other reason could there be, at least to their knowledge?

Still, if that were true, then that only proved Blake's theory further, because who else could hold of without aura a champion fighter and a fierce brawler if not a seasoned huntsman?

"I'm worried about Jaune," Ruby said with a deep frown marring her young face, catching everyone's attention.

"That goes without saying," she agreed.

"No, I don't mean just Jaune getting hurt, Weiss. Something's going on with him, something- something bad, and I want to know what it is."

"Yeah!" Nora heartily agreed, "Yesterday, it was Ruby's extra juicy, hot and spicy kiss," her leader made a choking noise, "then today it was the fight, and now this? Forgetting to aura-up?! You're right, Ruby, something is definitely going on with your man."

"N-Nora?! He's not my- We're not like that!"

"You mean: together, but not: together-together?"

"Yeah! I-I mean no. I mean- what does that even mean?!"

Ruby and Nora's nonsense aside, it looked like she and Blake weren't the only ones who thought that something was wrong with the picture. 'Who are you, Jaune Arc?' Weiss furthered the trail of the discussion, "Do you know when we'd be allowed to visit?"

"Tomorrow," Ruby mumbled, still red in the face.

"Tomorrow then, we'll ask him."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "But maybe let him rest first before we do. He _did_ just get shot in the stomach." Yang groaned at Ren's reminder and hid her face in the palms of her hands.

~ • ~

"What on Remnant were you thinking, Glynda?! I told you to pit him against Winchester, not the champion and the eldest of Taiyang!"

Glynda had never heard Ozpin sound so upset before. Annoyed, yes, a number of times, but angry- furious even? _That_ she had never witnessed. "I'm sorry, it's just- last night, you trusted him so quickly. You have to understand, a student walks in knowing things he shouldn't know, saying things that should have been secret, I think it was only right that I be suspicious. That's why I-"

"—If you wanted to make sure of his authenticity, then maybe you ought to ask me first on how." Ozpin then made to wrap her hand around the scroll he was giving her. She rose a brow at it in question.

"That is mister Arc's scroll," when it looked like that hadn't been enough to clarify why he was giving it to her, he continued, "his _future_ scroll. That device contains all of the data he managed to collect during his tenure as the last living huntsman in all of Remnant."

Her eyes widened at the unfathomable fact.

"Future battle lines; the cities' military size, strength, and movement; experimental technology and weapons schematics; a recorded chronicle of the coming war; even news headlines, recordings, and pictures; all information we need to fight against the Grimm, and he gave it to us willingly and without hesitation."

She already knew the answer, but still had to ask, "How sure are we about this information?"

"Very. The things you'll find in there, are far too personal to be doctored."

"Personal?"

"It _is_ mister Arc's scroll after all. Information there we could actually use is limited, derived from mister Arc's personal logs. Though I doubt he expected to be pulled back into the past that he'd thought that that sort of data was worth keeping handy. However limited it may be, it still shows us a window of things to come."

Glynda stared at the unassuming piece of hardware and offhandedly recognized it being the Beacon standard-issue ones handed out to first years. "So he really is from the future," she mumbled. Ozpin nodded. "And we… lost?"

He nodded again, "That's why I trust him. A man who has lost everything has nothing to hide. As of yesterday, mister Arc effectively became the most valuable asset Remnant has ever hoped to have when he came forward with this, our ace in the hole."

"And I just showed everyone our hand," Goodwitch looked up as the weight of her mistake became apparent.

"Hardly." Ozpin went to sit back at his desk, stirring yet another cup of coffee while doing so. "Though I still do not agree with what you did, it's hardly showing 'everyone' our hand. As far as everyone is concerned, all it was is just another match between students. Given it was a rather shocking one, it's nothing our enemies would find reason to suspect. I already took the liberty of purging the feeds of Jaune's fight. Unless any of your pupils thought to record it on their scrolls then it should be fine."

"They didn't. Their scrolls are confiscated upon entering the arena. It wouldn't do for future hunters to have their skills recorded and broadcasted to those who might seek to exploit them."

Of course, Ozpin already knew this; it was protocol. That was why he was so calm. "But do be more careful next time, Glynda. That man might very well be the one person to turn the tide in our favour- in _Remnant's_ favour. His presence should be kept to the utmost secrecy."

"Students will still talk," Glynda rose the concern.

"Let them. It will be old news in a couple of days. Just carry on as you were, and everyone would forget sooner or later. As for mister Arc and what follows after the arena, however, having him stay a student would only invite more unwanted attention."

"What do you plan to do with him?" she could only ask.

He replied only with a sip of his coffee.

~ The Next Day ~

"He's gone! H-He's not there. He's just… gone!"

"Woah there, little sis! Who? Who's gone?"

Ruby paused to catch her breath, and when she did, she exclaimed.

"Jaune!"


	3. Mr Wolf

* * *

Mr. Wolf

* * *

[Videos - Boring Military Stuff - Mission Logs - Atlas - Entry#: 203]

"Jaune..."

His eyes opened ever so slowly as they beheld "The Breach", what once were rolling forests of evergreen just outside the kingdom of Atlas now a wasteland of scorched earth and nothingness. This was where they held the line against the coming tide. This was where they stood their last stand time and time again. The juxtaposition of such a statement was not lost on anyone; it was the irony that kept them alive, after all.

A harsh Atlesian breeze caressed his skin, made alabaster by the frigid night air, and tousled the unruly blonde locks that dared peek under his helm. How the wind cut through to the bone so cold that shivering made no difference promised an oncoming storm. A blizzard was underway.

Who would but fools dare tread here?

Yet here they all were again... all fools standing on the precipice of extinction, not of a species, but of life itself.

"Jaune... we're ready," his XO informed him, "just give us the word."

Wolves' Bane let out a deep sigh. Who was he to send these people out to their deaths?

Their commanding officer, apparently.

He would have felt guilty if he hadn't known how there was no other way. But he did know; to feel guilt now, would only mean another distraction.

Yet, guilty, Jaune felt all the same.

"What's left of the armoured core division?" He asked.

"Thirty Myrmidons, seven Paladins, three Zeuses, and an Atlas."

"Infantry?"

"Light infantry: two thousand; heavy: five hundred."

"Militia?"

"Roughly twelve thousand."

He already knew the numbers; he just wanted to ask again on the off chance that there'd be more of them this time. It was not the case. 'So few… So few of us left.'

"Jaune?"

Her fingers weaved through his lifting some of the weight he felt resting on his shoulders. "Make it happen, Ruby," he whispered.

Ruby gave a nod both solemn and resolute. Her free hand reached up to her earpiece, "This is Omega 2, call sign: Little Red. Party time, hunters; let me hear you."

_"Snow Angel, ready op."_

_"Dragon, ready op, little sis."_

_"Black Fang, ready op."_

_"Hammer Time, ready to break some legs!"_

_"Nora, it's 'ready op' not- Oh, uh- Sloth here, ready op."_

_"Coco bun, ready op."_

_"Abs-o-fury, ready op."_

_"All systems green and nominal! Winter Maiden is operations-ready, friend Ruby!"_

He heard more of his squad commanders sound off in the coms, their voices echoing inside his helm his earpiece was built into. All his friends, people who trusted him to bring them home safe, and here he was sending them out to their collective doom.

"Alright. Dragon and Snow Angel, I want you and your squads guarding the Paladins. We want them as close to the support lines to keep our infantry from getting chewed up."

 _"Copy,"_ both Weiss and Yang acknowledged, and he could see their squads' nav signals break off to the north and south of the tac map that hovered on the left side of his Heads-Up Display.

"Hunters, you're all in position?

It was Nora who responded, _"Aye aye, Cap'n Ruby! We'll thin the Grimm out as much as we can before they hit the militia. It should make things easier for our boys."_

"Good. Atlas."

 _"Yes, my lady?"_ The professional tone of the Atlesian mech commander replied.

"As soon as you and your boys get in range, I want Grimm beddy-bye-bye shells hitting that backline like the baseline of the song 'I Burn', ya get me?"

_"Copy, Omega 2. I'll make sure to have that on repeat for you."_

Her hand squeezed his again, not to let him know that the order had been given, but to remind Jaune that, through thick and thin, she'd be by his side. Ruby didn't know just how much that meant to the young general. "Talk to them," She urged him, "they need to hear their leader."

Leader… a position he'd never asked for but one he would carry gladly if only to spare any of his friends the heavy burden of command. This way, at least, they won't have to feel the guilt that came with failure. When the end came, the fault will be his and his alone.

The end… Was this really the end? If it was then-…

"Ruby…"

"Yeah, Jaune?"

"Did I ever tell you I was in love with you? Because I am." The way he said it made it sound as if the phrase was an ordinary one said countless of times like a greeting told in passing. But the truth was, it's the first time he'd actually spoken those words to her. Jaune Arc, in what must have been the lamest confession in all of history, just admitted his feelings for Ruby Rose.

Oddly enough, Ruby didn't seem to mind. How she smiled at him, she almost seemed pleased with the way he chose to confess. Like it was appropriate or something.

"I know."

"You knew," he acknowledged with a weak laugh, "of course you did," all the while, the tone of his voice, not the least bit surprised. He let the silence stretch out just for the comedy of it before turning to face her with a faux shocked look on his face, "And you still haven't given me an answer? Ruby, how could you lead me on like that?"

What did it mean when what her reply could be made him more nervous than the coming battle? You'd think the general, of all people, would have his priorities straight. The thought amused him enough to shake his head.

"Mmm, nope."

"No?" Gods she was just so... Ruby, utterly and _perfectly_ Ruby. In spite of the rejection, Jaune couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips and the endearing smile that spread across his face. That was just how happy she made him just by being herself. "No, you're not gonna answer or, no, you're not intere-"

"—Nope."

 _"Guys, your coms are still on,"_ Blake stated flatly.

_"Shhh! Gods, Blake, you couldn't let them play it out for a bit?!"_

_"I'm sorry, Yang; I didn't realize you wanted to hear Jaune getting shot down by your sister."_

_"Oh, please,"_ Weiss joined in, _"if that was a rejection then Yang's a respectable, young woman who cares more of her manners than she does her hair. All false charges, I assure you."_

 _"You callin' me old, Weiss-cream?"_ Everybody on the coms chuckled.

Weiss ignored her, _"No, what this is are two colossal idiots that enjoy the dance of their own thick-headedness just a little too much. For goodness sake, Ruby, just give the man your answer!"_

"Hmmm…"

The coms grew quiet in anticipation.

"Nope!"

The coms groaned in frustration.

 _"For the love of- Ugh… you two are made for each other. Stubborn dolts, the both of them,"_ Weiss's frustrated whispers could still be heard despite the static.

"Well, sooorry, but what can I say?" Ruby shrugged not at all sounding sorry even though she said she was, "If Jaune _really_ wants to know, then he's just gonna have to stay alive to find out, now won't you, Jaune?" She teased but then the lights of her eyes lost all traces of mirth as the hand that held his squeezed even tighter. Her grip begged him to listen, and, listen, he did. "Don't die…" she gazed deeply into his eyes, "and I'll tell you."

The unspoken plea for him to come back to her safe was left just that: unsaid, but it didn't matter, not to them. Though subtle the turn of phrase, all they needed was one look at each other, and through the bond that somehow only _they_ could have, they'd know exactly what the other was trying to say betwixt the innocent little words. It's what made them such a good team and even better partners.

"I could do that."

An adoring smile replaced the brittle one she plastered onto her face for the sake of morale.

 _"You two are just insufferable, I swear,"_ He could almost picture Weiss massaging her temples.

_"Well, I think it's sweet. Don't you think it's sweet, Ren?"_

_"Hm."_

_"That's 'yes' in Ren-speak."_

A howl filled with anger and malice echoed over the breach cutting all lightheartedness out of those gathered.

Time was up.

"WNTR, patch me through," Jaune said, and soon his audio was fed into every single speaker, scroll, and earpiece of everyone who stood there in the breach with him.

Jaune took in a breath.

~ • ~

Pyrrha let out a breath as she woke to the sound of whispers. Consciousness came to her slow and the first thing she noticed was how dark it was. It must have been night time. Oh wait, she had her eyes closed. She opened them and discovered nothing's changed. 'Night then,' she concluded.

The whispers continued and Pyrrha craned her neck in the direction of the sound.

"How are you feeling?" The voice asked quietly; it didn't exactly help her in placing whom it belonged to. The one who answered the question, however, was all too familiar.

"I'm-… I think I'm good."

'Jaune?' Then she realized where she was, the infirmary, and remembered how she had come to be there in the first place, bested by her own partner. Suddenly the quiet conversation he was having held more of her interest.

"That is good. You had me worried there for a moment. Taking a twelve-gauge round to the stomach without aura-"

'What?!' Pyrrha almost let herself shout the question but reeled herself in quick enough to keep her eavesdropping from being found out. It did nothing to alleviate the worry she was feeling, however. 'He's fine… He said that he was fine. Calm down.'

"—not just anyone could boast walking away from such an injury."

"I guess not. I'm sorry if I worried you, Headmaster."

'Headmaster?' So it was Ozpin who Jaune was speaking to. How odd. Why would someone as busy as he bother himself with visiting a student, injured or otherwise?

The headmaster did not reply immediately, the air about him feeling as if he were pondering something. "To whom am I speaking to right now?"

'What?' Pyrrha thought.

"What?" Jaune asked out loud.

What an odd question that was. He was talking to Jaune, wasn't he? She couldn't really see him all that well in the dark, but she couldn't exactly mistake his voice either. Then again, he was her partner.

"You're… _different_ from yesterday."

"I am?"

He was?

"Yes, more like the boy I met during initiation. So is this Jaune or-…"

She quickly had to play dead- ur, asleep- ur, dead-asleep—'yeah'—when she felt the headmaster's gaze look over to where she was on her bed. A relieved sigh then squeezed out of her lungs when his attention returned to the injured boy.

"—or am I speaking to Wolves' Bane?" Ozpin finished.

Wolves Bane? Who on Remnant was Wolves' Bane? Curiouser and curiouser.

"I'm… not quite sure myself. But if you're worried he's gone, he's not. What you want to tell him, you can tell me."

There was another pause.

"Very well. Do you mind if I sit?"

"Please."

She heard a chair being placed near Jaune's bed.

"I watched your match earlier; I feel I have to apologize for that. I told her to have you fight Cardin, but Glynda had it in her head to test you."

"She doesn't trust m- Wolf?"

"She does now."

"And you?"

"Wolves' Bane has given me no reason to distrust him. That is not the point I wanted to raise, however. Back at the arena, why did you not activate your Aura?"

Jaune didn't activate his aura?! Images of her sword cutting straight through her secret crush flashed before her eyes. The gruesome picture made her hands clench her bedsheets in fear.

"Would you believe me if I told you I forgot?"

"You forgot to activate your aura before an _announced_ fight?"

That was a very good question; so good, in fact, that it had the champion gritting her teeth. How could he be so careless?!

"No, what I forgot is that I had aura at all."

What did he mean he forgot that he had aura?! It had only been a few weeks when she unlocked it for him! How could he have forgotten already?!

"That is… rather farfetched, yes."

Jaune chuckled, and the fact that he would make light of such a fatal mistake angered her to no end. Oh, Pyrrha will have words with her leader; she would make sure of it!

"How far have you gotten with my scroll?"

"Not far. It's only been a day and still a vast amount of data to sift through."

"Fair enough. Keep going; the answer's in there somewhere."

"Does it have anything to do with the headaches you've been having?"

"You saw that?"

'Hard not to,' Pyrrha thought remembering all the times Jaune paused in their fight to sport that pained look on his face. If she had been more ruthless, she'd have taken the openings those presented and ran him through. He would have died.

Pyrrha almost let out a whimper.

"What I saw was you freezing up when miss Rose called out your name."

Jaune did not answer.

"Will she be a problem, Jaune? I understand that she's your wife but-"

It was safe to say that, at that point, it was no longer within Pyrrha's _considerable_ capabilities to stay quiet, "WIFE?!"

She could feel the weight of their surprised stares settle on her even in the dark. When those wore off, it was the headmaster who broke the silence, "Ah, miss Nikos, so good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"I-"

He didn't let her finish, "Good. Good. Mister Arc, we will continue our discussion later. Your teammate looks like she might require your attention."

Jaune gave him a dirty look before using two fingers to rub his eyebrow in what looked like frustrated resignation. "I'll come by your office later."

"Grand." Ozpin stood, and with the sound of chair legs scraping against the tiled floor, two teens were left alone in a room where an abundance of questions floated in the air (most of them, if not all, belonging to the champion).

It was Jaune, however, who first thought to ask, "How are you feeling?"

How was she feeling? She was feeling a whole lot of things at the moment, not all so easily named. But, if she were to choose one, the most prominent would have to be, "Confused," and that was what she told him.

"About?"

As if he had to ask! Sure she might have been confused about a whole lot of things (more important things) about his and the headmaster's little talk, but she already screeched the damned question already.

Honestly, Jaune.

"The Headmaster said that Ruby was your wife."

She saw him wince, never mind that he hesitated to answer immediately as well. It all just confirmed everything in her mind.

"Pyrrha, come on. You know that's not true. I mean Ruby's fifteen! Ozpin just probably thought that I had a crush on her or something."

Then why the face? Why the hesitation? Why couldn't he look her in the eyes for longer than a second? Pyrrha might have been the most accepting of her friends, but even she had to admit that it was all very suspicious. "Then why 'wife' of all things?"

She saw him wince again as if the very word pinched him the wrong way.

"It was obviously a mistake. He must have meant something else like 'wifu' or whatever. You know how he is with slang."

Okay, _now_ she was sure that he was making things up! Wifu? Was that even a word? "Wifu, Jaune?" How dumb did he think she is?

"Hey, you tell me. I'm not the one from Mistral."

She turned on the soft lamp attached to the infirmary beds to show him how impressed she was with his retort. She was not.

"Look, if you don't believe me then why don't you ask Ruby? If she really was my… wife-"

There see? He hesitated. Again!

"—then she would know."

That was true. She really couldn't fault his logic; he could very well be telling it as it is. In fact, she knew that he was. What explanation was she hoping for exactly besides the already obvious?

But there was just _something_ about how the headmaster said it that rose flags in her head, something that told her that if only she hadn't interrupted then Jaune wouldn't have denied anything.

Again, Pyrrha berated herself for losing control like that. She could have learned so much more! Er- not that she condoned eavesdropping or anything of the sort.

But that was besides the point!

The fact that he was trying so hard to convince her told her that there was more to the story. Pyrrha was a smart girl, and she knew well enough that the topic itself was a bizarre one. It wouldn't have taken much for Jaune to simply dismiss her concerns as something of a joke and laugh it off. Instead, he looked for reasons, reasons that shouldn't have even been reasons under virtue of being the only valid explanation; reasons so obvious that they didn't even need explaining in the first place.

And yet he did.

He was "try-harding", as Nora would put it. The question was… why?

Her eyes narrowed at him in suspicion while his kept to the sheets that covered his legs. He busied himself with patting down the creases in the fabric all but ignoring the blatantly interrogative glares she kept throwing his way.

In the end, she had to give up. She had nothing on him, and all her glaring was accomplishing was growing the stitch in her brow that would surely pester her the entire day. She sighed dejectedly as she leaned back against the headboard.

What now?

All evidence seemed to point to her simply overreacting, but try as she might, she just couldn't let it go. The silence between them grew as she pondered what that meant for her if her crush really was married. Did that mean that she was interested in a married man? Was she that kind of girl? [Gasp!] Was she a homewrecker?! Suddenly she was a lot more in favour of being mistaken in her suspicions.

She was definitely overreacting.

Yeah… definitely.

That still left her with her other questions though. "Is it true what you said that you forgot to activate your aura in our fight?"

She tried very hard not to notice how he visibly relaxed when she dropped her previous line of questioning.

'He's not married to Ruby. He's not married to Ruby. He's not!' She reminded herself rather vehemently.

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"What do you mean, 'you _guess_ you did'? How could you forget?! It wasn't long ago that I unlocked it for you!" She was getting upset again. Unlocking someone's aura for them was a very big deal!

"I'm sorry Pyrr."

"Sorry won't mean anything if you got hurt, Jaune! And you did get hurt! A shotgun shell to the stomach?! I'm surprised we're even having this conversation right now!" Her outburst, though whispered so not to disturb the others that might have been in the infirmary with them, surprised even herself. She didn't think she'd ever used so many exclamation points in a conversation before. They were not enough to stop her from tearing into him, however. She swung her legs over the side of her bed so that she could face her leader. "What would have happened if you weren't fast enough, hm? What if- if I hit you with Miló? I could have ki- I could have… I-"

She didn't notice how she began to shake; how her eyes grew blurry and unfocused when she pictured herself hurting Jaune. The moment his arms wrapped around her, only then did she realize she was crying. "I'm so sorry, Pyrrha," he said burying his face in her bedridden, red hair, "I didn't mean to make you worry."

Hands rose tentatively as they glided over his chest to wind themselves around his shoulders; the moment her cheek settled on his left, the reality of the situation sank in. This was their first hug, the most contact they'd shared with each other. It amazed her how all the negativity she felt earlier seemed to just... melt away. 'So… warm.'

She woke up when she felt him poking her ribs with his fingers. And once she did, she quickly realized that she'd actually fallen asleep on him! Naturally, she blushed and refused to acknowledge the line of spit that stuck to her chin even as she wiped it off. "S-Sorry about that." She said while separating herself from the boy like he was on fire.

"Nah, it's no big. I'd let you sleep longer but," he chuckled quietly, "my butt was falling asleep too." Pyrrha joined in his laughter.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "and not just for…" Her finger gestured around the wet spot on his shoulder. Groaning she covered her face so that she couldn't see the amused expression on Jaune's, "but also for getting upset. I didn't mean to be so cross. It was silly of me." Her hands rose up to her hair to distract herself from the guilt and embarrassment by tangling her fingers in it.

"I don't think worrying about your partner is silly. I think it's sweet." He shrugged.

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at that but then frowned again when she asked, "Does- does your head still hurt?"

"Nope! All good in the hood," he demonstrated by knocking on the side of his head. "Not that I'm, uh, wearing my hoodie right now but you catch my drift."

He placed a hand on her shoulder when she still didn't look convinced.

"Don't worry about me, Pyrrha. I promise I'll be more careful next time. I was just- I wasn't feeling too hot this morning."

'You felt hot enough to m- no! Control, Pyrrha! Remember your training,' her treacherous mind was lecherously thinking while she was busy saying, "Of course I'll worry. I'm your partner, Jaune; it's my job." Her hands settled on her lap.

"And there's no better partner a guy could ever ask for."

In her mind, there was only a high pitched 'e' sound when she heard him say that. First, she was angry then weepy, and now she was happy? Talk about a roller coaster. Maybe she was still tired. Jaune seemed to think so too.

"Get some rest; you look like you could do with a bit of shut-eye."

Sleep? But there was so much more she wanted to talk about! Like his newly discovered combat prowess. Where did that even come from? He had to be a huntsman. She refused to believe that her leader was anything less than trained like he had led everyone else to believe, not after that showing at the arena.

She was just about to protest when a cavernous yawn told her "Nah".

"Very well. Perhaps you're right. What about you? Aren't you going to sleep with me?" The sound of glass breaking echoed somewhere in the back of her mind. That came out wrong. "S-Sleep as in to get rest! And in your own bed preferably, fully clothed a-and not at all inappropriate… ha. Haha."

Pyrrha was grateful that he chose not to comment. "You go on ahead. I still need to talk to O- the Headmaster."

'About what?' She wanted to ask but didn't. She really was that sleepy and couldn't hold a longer conversation even if she wanted to. "Okay, Jaune. See you in the morning?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Pyrrha." He stood up, the mattress under him shifting to occupy the space he just left. Just before he could leave, however, Pyrrha spoke up.

"Jaune…"

"Yeah?" He turned to face her.

"You know... if there's anything, _anything_ at all, you want to talk about, I'm more than happy to listen."

There was a beat of silence before he replied, "I know. That's why your 'best partner', remember." She smiled sleepily at hearing it said again and then he left. "G'night, champ."

"Good night."

~ • ~

"You know, for someone who wants to keep things secret, you sure have no problem blurting stuff out even when there are people around."

"I thought she was asleep."

"And I thought you didn't take any chances."

"I don't."

"Then what gives?"

Instead of an answer, the Headmaster turned to stare out the large window of his office, but Jaune understood his refusal to speak well enough.

"You _wanted_ her to find out."

Ozpin remained silent.

"Any particular reason why you want my partner in on our little secret?"

The bespectacled man did sigh that time, and it was all Jaune needed to catch on to his little charade.

"I told you to find someone else to be the Fall Maiden. You're not painting a target on Pyrrha's back a second time. Not while I'm here."

"Then who?" He turned to face him. "There is no other I would trust with this. Would you rather I choose miss Xiao Long? Or perhaps even Ru-"

Hands slammed onto the headmaster's desk so hard that the glass of the windows shook in their frames. "Do _not_ … go there, Ozpin. I did not come to you just so you could put the people I care about in danger all over again. I came to you because you have connections, connections I need to stop what's happened in my time from happening in this one."

The headmaster didn't look at all put off by his little display, "There you are, Wolves' Bane. Nice of you to join us," he said, but Jaune would not be goaded.

"Are you telling me that, in this entire school, you have no one else but the women in my team and Ruby's as candidates for Fall Maiden?"

"Tha-"

"That," Jaune didn't let him finish, "was a rhetorical question." Taking his hands off the table, Jaune straightened his spine, the younger huntsman challenging the Headmaster in both height and presence, "I know there are others, but, for some reason, you won't choose them. What are you hiding from me, Ozpin? What is so important about the Maiden that you would risk my team for it? Tell. Me."

Ozpin knew he was caught. He was used to dealing with him as a teenager, but not the soldier he was forced to become. He could see the cogs in the other man's head turning, measuring the words he thought he could get away with. In the end, all he could say was, "I can't-"

Jaune's hackles rose, and the Headmaster was quick to try and placate him.

"—for now, Wolf, only for now. You have to trust me. This is what's best for everyone. The reason you lost your world is becau-"

"—The reason," his voice boomed and staggered with barely restrained fury, "everyone… I have ever loved is... gone, is because we didn't know what we were up against. Because the one man who was supposed to have all the answers died before he could tell us anything."

The aforementioned man was decent enough to pause and give that statement the thought that it deserved.

"Trust you?" Jaune, continued, "I did trust you, Ozpin; look at where that's got me."

"Mister Arc- Jaune, where are you going?"

Jaune had turned and was already walking towards the elevator. "I'm not just gonna stand here and let history repeat itself. I'm not interested in playing your little games, Oz. I have my friends to look after."

"Mister Arc, please," Ozpin went around the table to follow, "if you won't listen to me then listen to reason! What do you think would happen if you do find and kill Cinder Fall? Do you honesty believe that would be the end of it? No, someone more dangerous _will_ take her place, putting your team and miss Rose in even more danger. At least this Cinder woman is a variable we could predict but _only_ if we act rationally."

Jaune spun on his heel and marched straight back up to the headmaster. "Then what would you have me do, huh?!" He hissed, "Do you honestly believe that I would just sit on my hands while the people who want to hurt my family are out there doing gods know what?! I will protect them, Oz, and no one: not Glynda, not Ironwood, not Qrow, and not even you could stop me."

"And I won't. I want your team safe just as much as you do. All I'm asking is for a little bit of trust and patience," Ozpin beseeched him.

"Trust" he says. "Patience" he says. If that was all it took then he wouldn't even be here, would he? Jaune wanted to point that out but knew it would only take them back to his first argument. They'd be going around in circles, and Jaune was too tired for that.

Suddenly the fatigue of getting shot, waking up in the middle of the night, and then arguing the merits of passivity caught up to the young blonde soldier, and, with it, a sort of lackadaisical cognizance of the way things were. Ozpin was right to an extent; Jaune knew far too well that doing nothing sometimes was better than doing the wrong thing. It was just the inaction of the situation that was making his teeth itch and driving him insane.

Ozpin put a hand on his shoulder. "We are all on the same side, Wolf. We all want the same thing."

Did they? Jaune sighed.

"I want to trust you, Headmaster," tiredly, he admitted, "but that's a luxury I just can't afford, not when it comes to them. If you really want me to go along with whatever it is you're planning then you _have_ to give me something."

It was Ozpin's turn to sigh, but, after a while of contemplative silence, conceded, "In light of recent events, I believe it is no longer wise for you to remain a student of Beacon."

That was not what Jaune was hoping to hear. "I said 'give' me something, Ozpin, not 'take', and now you're telling me to leave Beacon?"

"Well, now. I didn't say that."

The way the Headmaster was grinning at him did not inspire confidence.

~ • ~

Ruby wasted no time. When headmaster Ozpin told her yesterday that today was the earliest she could see Jaune, the moment she woke up, she was already putting on her usual gear and was well on her way to the infirmary. Imagine her surprise when she found him missing.

"Gone?" Yang asked.

She nodded noticeably distraught.

"Maybe he was let out early?" Blake proposed.

Giving up on sleep and joining the conversation, Weiss put in her grouchy, two liens, "It's six in the morning; _this is_ early."

"Well, have you tried his room? Maybe he's already there."

"I-" Ruby's eyes widened comically before the redhead shot out the door faster than anyone could blink.

The WBY of team RWBY all stared at each other when they heard their leader knock on (more like assaulted) JNPR's dorm room door. Sleepy as they all were, the three were slow to follow, but that didn't mean they couldn't hear Nora Valkyrie's loud greeting.

"G'mornin', Ruby!"

"Hi Nora," she said distractedly while stood on her tiptoes trying to look over the hammer wielder, "is Jaune there?"

Ruby saw the other girl frown and her own feelings of apprehension began to gnaw at her. Did something happen to Jaune? Was her best friend okay? The suspense was torture on her young, teenage nerves!

Nora moved to the side to reveal the rest of team Juniper already awake. Pyrrha was sitting on her bed and was the one to answer, "Jaune isn't here."

"Wha- but, where is he? Wasn't he with you?" The slightest pang of guilt niggled at Ruby at not even greeting Pyrrha and asking how she was after yesterday, but her focus had tunnelled already and could not find it in herself to be bothered.

Pyrrha shook her head no, "Not since talking to him last night."

Talking? So- wait. He woke up? He's not dead! 'Oh, thank you!' Just knowing that Jaune was okay was enough to make Ruby slump against the doorframe in relief. But where was he? "Do you… know where he is?" She asked tentatively.

"He said that he needed to speak with the headmaster."

That got Weiss's attention, "The headmaster? What could Jaune possibly want to discuss with him that couldn't wait 'til morning?"

"Who cares? I'm going back to bed." Her sister turned around and went back inside their dorm. She was still upset about yesterday, it looked like, but Ruby knew her well enough to know that she did care. She wouldn't have gotten out of bed otherwise. Knowing that he wasn't dead was enough for her though.

Everyone else chose not to comment on her sister's attitude for which Ruby was infinitely grateful for. She really couldn't deal with that right now.

"I don't know, Weiss," Pyrrha continued once Yang had closed the door, "but I plan on asking him that myself when I see him. We're hoping to catch Jaune during class."

"Class which won't start for another three hours," Blake deadpanned while looking pointedly at her.

Ruby replied with a head scratch and a nervous titter, "Well, at least now we know that Jaune's okay. That's good, right?"

"You're the one who went out at such an ungodly hour to go see the goofball; you tell us if it was worth it."

Her partner got her there, "I wha- That's not what I… I-I wasn't- I was just, uh..." Everybody waited for her and how she would finish that sentence. The problem was that she didn't know either, so Ruby fired back instead, "You were worried too Weiss!" She smirked, 'Ha! Let's see _you_ handle the attention, ice queen!'

She didn't even deny it like Ruby hoped she would (well, there went that idea), "Of course I was. A comrade in arms had been injured; I was worried for him just as much as I was for Pyrrha—how are you doing by the way?" She squeezed in the question gracefully.

"Still sore but can't complain." Pyrrha shrugged and smiled.

"Good, good. That's a relief to hear," Weiss sympathized, and without missing a beat (curse you Weiss and your singer beat keeping skills!), rounded on Ruby again making the shorter girl shrink even further below the you-must-be-this-tall-to-ride-the-rollercoaster line, "But unlike you, I didn't think to bother everyone by waking up so early."

"Oh yeah? Well, I-…" Darn it! Didn't she know how to finish this sentence either? 'What gives, brain?' "I-…" Weiss crossed her arms over her chest as everyone waited yet again on what new and innovative ways she was to put her foot in her mouth.

Luckily for her, her stomach rumbled.

'Nice save, tummy! I could always count on you, not like brain,' Ruby thought. "Well, I'm hungry, and as leader, I say we get ourselves some breakfast!" Totally logical, hundred percent. 'I'm just too smooth. Like- like a… smoothie. Yieeeah.'

"Ruby, that's not-"

She interrupted Weiss, "And, seeing as your leader is currently MIA, I as Jaune's backup and bestest friend here by commandeer team JNPR, or NPR, in this case—krk krk. Nipper," she snickered. "Let's see some hustle team! To the pantry!"

With a "pew" like in one of those silly Saturday morning cartoons she loved to watch so much and a scattering of rose petals, Ruby disappeared down the corridor that led to her esca- ur, breakfast.

~ • ~

Jaune had a lot to think about. Having two sets of memories that were slowly intermingling with each other would do that. However disorienting that may be, it wasn't what got him looking like he was sucking on a lemon, it's what Ozpin said to him this morning that did.

Now more than ever, he needed to organize his mission parameters.

Unconsciously, his hand reached up to his breast-pocket only to realize that his scroll wasn't there; neither was there a breast pocket to reach into, to begin with.

With a sigh, Jaune opened his locker. 'One step at a time, Jaune,' he reminded himself, 'just one step at a time.'

There was one thing, at least, that he would make sure to check out first before he threw himself into the chaos of the day, something he hadn't thought possible for the longest time.

That was until he was told he had aura again.

Taking a candid look around before reaching into his locker, Jaune brought out his—again, he wanted to say armour, but, despite the weathering, it really was just too fancy-looking to be called that—his suit but just the chest piece. A sense of nostalgia and child-like wonder gripped him. It was like meeting a new friend as well as greeting an old one. The feeling made him smile despite them being complete contradictions.

He looked around again making doubly sure he was alone, and when he saw that he was, Jaune gripped the breastplate where the arms were supposed to go and pushed his aura into the metal. The crystal-shaped core in the middle of the chest piece began to glow.

Wolves' Bane's eyes turned watery.

He almost couldn't believe it… 'After all these years…' Hands becoming frantic, Jaune reached inside his locker again to grip the jaw guard of his suit that deployed into his helmet. After infusing it with some aura, it did just that, and Jaune did not hesitate in pressing the right side of the helm against his ear. Inside he could hear-

["Reactor: Online"]

["Sensors: Online"]

["Servos at: 12%"]

["Armour Integrity: 27%"]

["Initiating Neural Handshake…"]

[Pending…]

[Pending…]

["Neural Link: Established"]

The cool sensation of his AI interfacing with the positronic brain installed to the back of his neck surged through his body like a soothing downpour.

Not soon enough, the cold, digitized tones of Winter Schnee feathered against his consciousness, [" **W** arfare and **N** avigations **T** actical **R** elay: Online. All systems: nominal, General Arc…"] but then became melodious and teasing, ["or at least, as nominal as you could keep me. What? Didn't have time to give me a good scrub? Honestly, Jaune."]

"Gods, WNTR, I've missed you."

["Missed me? _You?_ Well now, things _must_ be dire."]

"Heh. You could say that," he chuckled.

["Mm. So what's the op? And is it just me, or do you sound younger?"]

~ • ~

It was already lunchtime, and RWBY could be found sitting with their sister team, JNPR, at their usual table. It did not escape any of them how Juniper was still very much just nipper without their leader, and as juvenile as it was, Weiss had to admit that the name was rather funny sounding.

"Still no Jaune?" She asked the obvious question and was met predictably with headshakes by everyone at the table.

"I don't get it; didn't you say that he only went to see Ozpin?"

"Yes. He said so himself," Pyrrha replied to Nora clearly quite worried herself.

"Guys, come on, I'm sure he's fine! You're all getting worked up over nothing. He probably just ditched classes today to avoid all his adoring new fans," Her blonde teammate tried to lift everybody's spirits with her usual Yang brand of optimism.

Pyrrha was in no mood for Yang branded optimism.

"Forgive us if we want to make sure that _our_ leader is okay. You might not have a vested interest in him, but we do."

"That's not-…" Weiss saw Ruby stop her sister's retort by placing her hand on Yang's balled-up fist that was on the table. The scowl on her face melted into a guilty frown when she looked down at her little sister. "Yeah… sorry, Pyrrha."

That got the usually kind-hearted woman looking guilty herself. "N-No," she assured her, "That was... uncalled for; I shouldn't have snapped like that. It's just-…"

"It's just that everybody's under a whole lot of stress. Tensions were bound to run high," she finished for the champion when it looked like she couldn't. Weiss was given an appreciative nod for her thoughtfulness. "But whether we like it or not, Yang is correct; worrying accomplishes nothing except bringing the mood down further."

"Yeah. Let's talk about something else," Nora suggested.

"Agreed," Ren concurred.

"Then what about how no one from our class would shut up about the fight yesterday? Jaune's become an urban legend around these here parts," Ruby shot a finger gun while saying the last bit with a West-Valian accent, "There are even rumours floating around! Krk, have you heard the one where Jaune is like a secret super-soldier from the future that came back to save Remnant from the Apocalypse? Krk krk! Priceless."

"No, but I have heard the one where it was staged and Yang actually threw the fight," Blake supplied.

Yang groaned, "Uuugh, don't remind me. I don't even know how many times I've been asked how much Arc had to pay me to throw the fight, and if I would give them a discount."

"Mm, I as well. Is it really that surprising that someone beat me?" Pyrrha asked.

"Hm, four-time Mistral regional champion, Pyrrha Nikos," Nora raised one palm up representing said champion, "losing tooo~…" Nora raised the other, "Jaune," and let the words hang, all the while an expression where her lower lip curved over the upper said that she was anything but convinced, "nope. Nothing strange there! Compleeetly normal."

"You have to admit, it was rather surprising," Weiss agreed.

"But he really did though."

"And that's why no one's shutting up about it," Yang lamented, "It wasn't enough that he beat you; he had to go and beat me too! The scandal!"

"Yeah, that was pretty cool," Ruby put in helpfully while she drank her milk through a straw and smug smile.

"I will take away your cookie privileges."

"I kid! I kid!" Ruby laughed.

"And what's your take on that?" It was Blake who suddenly asked the question addressing team JNPR as a whole rather than just Pyrrha.

Ren waited, spooning a helping of macaroni into his mouth first before he asked, "Take on what?"

"How do you feel about your leader hiding something like this from you."

It was obvious how the question took them aback, and even after sharing a look with each other, none of team JNPR was ready to answer. It came as a surprise when it was Nora that was first to speak.

"We… We told him stuff about us; shared our stories. I just thought that, if there was anything, he'd trust us enough to tell, but I guess that was pretty dumb. I mean the semester's barely even over; it's not like we've known the guy for long, but… yeah. It kinda sucks." She said dejectedly.

Ren put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Everyone is entitled to their secrets, Nora. Not everyone could be like us who've known each other for years."

"Yeah, I know that. I guess I was just hoping that we could be like a family you know."

"Families keep secrets," Yang said and Weiss could only agree. Heavens only knew what secrets her Schnee heritage kept from her, "but that shouldn't stop them from caring."

 _That_ , she did not quite agree with, but she digressed. "Pyrrha, what about you?" The heiress asked instead.

"More… _intrigued_ than hurt, really. I agree with Ren and Yang with what they said about secrets. There's still time Nora; we still have years to learn about each other."

The orange-haired Valkyrie couldn't help but beam at all the encouragement.

"Secret or no" Pyrrha continued, "I'm actually glad that he beat me."

"Why," was Ruby's question.

"And what intrigued you?" was hers.

"I… don't really want to answer the why," she looked apologetically towards the younger girl who pouted at the rejection, "but as to the what, well," she paused, turning her head ever so slightly to see if anyone else had been listening in, "during the fight, did anyone notice how Jaune moved?"

"I did. Moved like a little bitch, that guy; didn't wanna stand still and take my punches like a man!"

Cussing while at the table, ugh, "Yang, must you really?" Weiss reprimanded the blonde.

"What? He is!"

"That is no excuse for such vulgarity especially when people are eating."

"Vulga-" Weiss could see that she wanted to argue, but raising one frosty eyebrow in challenge was all it took for Yang to realize that it would only mean yet another lecture of etiquette from the ice queen. "Tch, fine… he's still a little bitch though," she whispered the last part so Weiss wouldn't hear.

She did but chose to let it slide in favour of something more to her interest.

"Please continue, Pyrrha. What do you mean by the way he moved?"

"Well, he moved… like me."

Did he? Weiss tried to recall the fight and vaguely remembered the fighting style Jaune adopted. It was somewhat similar to Pyrrha's. No, not somewhat. Very. "He did, but I fail to see how that would be intriguing."

"It's intriguing," Pyrrha explained, "because the Myrmidon stance is an old military form only few know about today. The only ones I know who still practice it are me and my father."

"And I take it your father hasn't taken on any new apprentices?" Weiss deduced.

"None that I know off."

Well now, _that was_ intriguing.

"Maybe he was just… copying you?" Ruby proposed but didn't sound all too sure herself.

"If that were the case then he wouldn't have won," plain and simple, Pyrrha stated, and it wasn't even a boast, just the truth. "For him to best me in single combat, it would have required mastery of the form I myself have been using for years," she gave everyone time to absorb that rather significant piece of information before adding, "and I had Yang."

"Woah…" Both Ruby and Nora said at the same time.

"Wait a minute," Yang suddenly slammed her fists on the table, "Why that sonovab-" A cold glare from her put an end to that sentence, "—son of a gun was using my fighting style too!"

Ruby paused halfway to her straw when she asked, "Your fighting style? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure! Even started giving me pointers near the end. Pretentious, little-" Her eyes quickly flicked at Weiss, "—rapscallion."

"But how? Dad taught you that, and he made it up!"

"Where on Remnant did he learn all this?" Nora asked, but it was Ren who raised the better question.

"How did he learn? It takes years just to get a grips on any fighting style; to master two vastly different from each other…"

He didn't need to finish. They all knew exactly what that entailed. Jaune was young, _far_ too young, to have mastered one, let alone both of those martial arts. Weiss had her own theories as to how, one of them possibly being his semblance that heightened learning, but she couldn't be sure.

"The only way we'll really know is if we ask him. Now if only tall, blonde, and scraggly would- Ah! Ruby?!"

Her partner abruptly standing up and using her semblance startled the heiress into standing herself. What had caught her attention enough to do that? Knowing her excitable leader, it could have been anything. Looking over the heads of the other Beacon students, she found Ruby just outside the entrance to the cafeteria talking to someone.

That someone being Ozpin that just so happened to be passing by.

By that time, everyone else at the table had turned from their seats to observe the exchange. They watched how Ruby prattled at—not with. This was Ruby after all—the Headmaster; the man nodding politely where he thought it appropriate. It was obvious at which point Ruby had asked about Jaune when they saw her mannerisms become more subdued and her expression nervous.

Then her smile fell, and a slowly dawning look of grief-stricken horror took its place. The milk carton she held in her hand slipped through her slack fingers, and the sound of it hitting the floor was both minute and echoing.

Weiss could practically feel the entire group's mood shift at the girl's expression. There were a few more words bartered between the two, but the conversation ultimately came to an end with the Headmaster taking his leave. Ruby just stood there out in the hallway for a good long while before walking back to their table. _Walking._ That in itself was cause for concern.

Her gait felt stuttered like her feet only had a vague idea of where they were going, but bring her to their spot, they did, and everyone sat at the edge of their seats in anticipation of what she had to say. Ruby kept her head low the entire time.

"Well?" She asked, "Did you ask about Jaune?"

Of course, she did; it was just mentioned how that was obvious earlier, but Weiss felt that the obvious had to be asked if only to knock Ruby out of her dazed stupor.

"I… I did." Weiss had never heard her leader sound so small.

"And?" Pyrrha encouraged, her tone hopeful.

"Jaune was…"

Only then did Weiss notice that Ruby had tears in her eyes.

"Jaune was expelled."

~ • ~

It was said earlier that Jaune needed to clear his head, and what better way to do that than hours of "clearing out" the heads of Grimm?

The blonde soldier could be found currently in the Emerald Forest with Ruby's scythe in hand. He only had the upper half of his gel layer undersuit and chest piece for protection, but his armour was there more for the company, however, rather than to actually shield him from any blows. They were just Beowolves after all; no need to go overboard.

["Let me see if I understand correctly, my General,"] his AI's voice rang in his mind, ["Sooo… time travel?"]

Not at all inconvenienced by the question as proven by him effortlessly chopping the head off yet another Beowulf with Ruby's patented windmill cleave, Jaune's answer came as a simple, "Yup".

["And now you're young again and we haven't lost the war yet?"]

"Yup."

["And you still plan on saving all of Remnant?"]

"More or less."

["While I do not disagree, I do have to ask: how?"]

He had no answer ready for that one.

["Jaune…"]

"I'm working on it."

["Uhuh."]

"I am! It's only been two days. Give me a break!"

It told a lot about Atlas technology when their AI was able to express emotions such as exasperation with utterly human detail. It didn't help Jaune feel better about himself though. WNTR sighed the most human sigh.

["Hopeless. You were right to wake me when you did. Without my supervision, I wouldn't even be surprised if you rose a rebellion the first week you were here if you thought that would help."]

"D-ah, tsk. Hey!"

["Don't you 'hey' me. Need I remind you of Mantle? And wasn't that a catastrophe and half?"]

"Just a small one…" Jaune mumbled in denial.

["You toppling governments is small, Jaune?"] She sighed again and left the subject be for another time. ["So what's our next move?"]

Jaune slowly halted in his Grimm butchering (not that there were any Grimm left to butcher), and let out a near inaudible breath. Seconds ticked past without him answering the question that it prompted his AI to ask, ["General- Jaune?"]

Standing there with his wif- Ruby's scythe stuck to the ground by its tip like he saw her doing countless of times, Jaune was reminded again of how utterly lost he was. He had no plan. At first, he thought he did, but Ozpin was right. The more they deviated from the path, the less predictable the future became.

And that terrified him utterly and completely.

What if he lost them all sooner this time? One false move—what if that was all it took for him to lose Ruby all over again? No, not again. He couldn't take it; he won't!

["Jaune? Jaune! Jaune, breathe!"]

He gasped, and when his vision cleared, found himself on his knees.

["Good gods, Jaune! Things must really be bad if your _AI_ has to remind you to perform the simple act of breathing!"]

"Sorry [cough]… But I- I don't know..."

["You don't know how to breathe?!"] WNTR asked incredulously.

"I don't know… what to do," he admitted in a ragged voice, "How can I make sure that I won't make things worse? How-… How will I know if the choices I make are the right ones?"

["You're afraid,"] WNTR acknowledged.

Jaune stood up shakily and gripped Crescent Rose by the haft. Collapsing it into its compact form and holding it in both hands, he confessed, "I am."

["You're afraid of losing her again."]

"Yes," he whispered.

WNTR hummed, ["I might not be you're wife's AI, but I have gathered enough data on her to hazard a guess as to what she would say if she saw you now. Would you like to know?"]

Jaune closed his eyes and just nodded.

["She'd say: _Keep marching, soldier. We're not done yet._ "] The quote was spoken in Ruby's voice, a recording of one of their many interactions.

Jaune's whole frame shook just hearing it.

A sound equal parts laughter and a sob burst from his lips, "Yeah. She'd definitely say that."

["And you know why, don't you?"]

He nodded as Wolves' Bane pictured his wife in his mind, "Because it isn't about us anymore. We owe it to our people that we do our best. That's what being a leader is all about."

["And then she would punch you either in the gut or somewhere lower. I haven't decoded how she makes that choice as of yet."]

Jaune laughed the first honest to goodness laugh he had ever done since returning to Beacon. It was liberating. He really was glad that he got WNTR back.

["One step at a time, Jaune."]

"One step at a time."

A moment of peace and quiet was awarded the soldier, and he took the opportunity to simply bask in the here and now. He breathed in and felt the cold autumn breeze enter his lungs. He breathed out and felt the warmth of his body tickle his nose. 'Got to keep moving forward,' he reminded himself.

["Speaking of moving forward, isn't it about time that you got going?"]

Right. Ozpin's given him an assignment, and though it wasn't what he had hoped for, it was still something. And right now, Jaune could do with a little bit of something, anything to keep him from going crazy.

Adopting the tone he used whenever he would ask HQ for a sitrep, Jaune asked, "Where's our first objective?"

["Primary is roughly four point five klicks from your position. I've taken the liberty to mark it as nav point Gamma on your HUD."]

"HUD is inoperable."

["That's because you have your ORCL shut off. Turn your left eye on, Jaune."]

He had almost forgotten about that, how he had only one eye. After living so long without the other, it just slipped his mind.

Pushing aura into his left eye socket, Jaune's world gained a dimension he hadn't lived with for an age. "Hello, depth perception, my old friend." He wobbled, unused to having both of his eyes working again.

["You okay there, General?"]

"I-… yeah…" It was a simple matter of rummaging through his memories of a time when he still had both eyes. It didn't take long as those memories were readily available to his younger self, and like flicking on a switch, the vertigo he felt disappeared as if it never was.

For a moment he felt guilty for robbing Jaune of a left eye, but then he remembered that _he was Jaune_. "I'll get over it."

["How's it looking?"]

"A little bit green and too much saturation." His left eye suddenly telescoped in and out, the colours and focus adjusting until they were just right.

["What about now? Better?"]

"Much. Thank you, WNTR."

["Don't thank me; thank Atlas that they built to last, not to mention survive neglectful users,"] she managed to squeeze in the barb. ["Initiating **O** ptical **R** econnaissance **C** erebral **L** ink."]

Jaune's world lit up quite literally when his HUD came to life. Tactical information flooded before his eyes, but only two held his attention: the tac map at the top-left of his peripheral and the distance to his objective just below it. "So, nav point Gamma?"

["Aye, my General. ETA: twenty minutes. Five if you run."]

"Well, let's try not to be late on our first day, shall we?"

~ • ~

To Ruby, the day went past in a daze. She barely paid any attention in her last class, and she doubted that, in the next one, she'd do any better. She was just glad that it was the last one of the day, and better still was that it was professor Port's. She could just dose off and forget that her best friend, her _first_ friend was no longer attending Beacon with her.

No more hanging out with her best bud. No more video game competitions between their teams. No more talking about how hard it was being a leader and then telling each other that they could do it.

Jaune was just gone. Just like that, he was-… he was gone, and she didn't even get to say goodbye.

Now she'll never know what that kiss meant…

"Alright. Everybody, take their seats."

Again, Ruby didn't pay attention, just followed her sister and sat where her team sat then buried her head under her arms. She didn't care at all for whatever Port was bragging about now. She just wanted the day to end.

"Unfortunately, professor Port wouldn't be teaching today on account that, according to him, a Boarbatusk had snuck into his quarters late at night, and in no small part of the resulting battle, his arthritis acted up."

If only she'd been at the infirmary earlier. If only Ozpin let her stay to watch over her friend.

"But not to worry. Today I'd like to introduce to you the newest member of our faculty. He'll be the one handling this class for the time being. Some of you might already know him, but let's give him a warm welcome just the same."

Stupid Ozpin expelling Jaune. Stupid Jaune for getting hurt! Stupid, stupid, STUPID Jaune for making her feel all weird, and confused, and- and stuff!

She buried her head deeper in her arms and sighed, 'Stupid me for not talking to him.'

"Come on in, young man. Please, introduce yourself."

If only she got to see him one last time then she'd tell him… tell him that-

"Thank you, Headmaster."

Her arms she had wrapped around her head stiffened as Ruby's ears perked at the familiar voice.

That-

"Hi everybody, the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, the ladies love it."

—that he was _SOOO_ DEAD!

'No way!' Her head shot up and there he was, stupid grin and all, her dumb, blonde, best friend, nincompoop, traitor face, piece of garbage.

Ruby's jaw fell to the floor.

"But you could all just call me-"

~ • ~

["Mr Wolf,"] his suit's onboard AI informed him, ["coms are ready for you."]

Jaune nodded and stepped forward. The sight of one man breaking rank to step onto the battlefield drew the eyes of thousands upon him.

"This is Archon Omega 1, call sign: Mr Wolf addressing the last standing army of a free Remnant."

He inhaled yet another steadying breath, and out of habit, glanced to the side at his XO. He was greeted with an encouraging smile as Ruby nodded for him to continue.

"You all know who I am, and you all know why you're here, so I'll keep it brief."

The coms stayed silent as every brave soul stood in rapt attention. No one dared cough, sniffle, or cry when their commander who had lead them through countless battles was giving what could possibly be their last pep talk.

"Grimm are coming. They're coming to take what you all hold most dear. It doesn't matter what it is; I want you to close your eyes and picture it in your heads. Imagine holding it in your hands. What is it you love?"

His eyes met Ruby's like they were magnets, and the way that they looked at each other told them more than their words could ever say.

They both knew what they loved most, and they would fight for it tooth and nail.

"The Grimm want to take that. The question is would you let them?"

The voice of a thousand soldiers answered, "No, Mr Wolf!"

"Today we are hunters, every single one of us. When you look to the person beside you, you do not see a human nor a Faunus. There is no Vale, no Mistral, no Vacuo, or Atlas. Today there is only Remnant and the hunters that fight for it."

Jaune paused when another earsplitting howl tore through the night. He was made proud, however, when he saw the line hold with barely a flinch. They were all in this to the bitter end. There was no longer room in their hearts for fear.

"So when the Grimm come, what do we do?"

"We hunt!"

"And when we die?"

"Walk it off!"

"Damn right we walk it off! We don't stop marching until the job is done. Remnant, are you with me?!"

"Oo-rah!" The battle cry echoed into the deep, and it was a testament of life that would not go quietly into the night.

The polarized visor of his helmet snapped shut and the core of his Winter Cuirass began to glow, "Happy hunting, hunters."

Done with bolstering his troops, Jaune then switched to private coms before calling out, "Oh, and Ruby," Mr Wolf stepped up to Little Red.

"Jaune?" she asked, and he could hear the smile in her voice despite it now being hidden under her own tactical helm.

He drew a smiley face on her visor when he was close enough then bent to speak into the receiver of her suit, "Remember our deal."

She replied by leaning her helmet against his.


End file.
